It’s with a very sad heart that we have had to say good-bye to Lee Baird who died in the earlier hours of Sunday morning.
What a woman and inspiration she was. Lee had cancer and she was such a fighter that many years were added to her life because of her positive attitude and determination to beat the odds. More than that she was a friend to so many of us. I think her best friend was her Robie. I could always imagine them sitting outside and having long chats when he got home from work. When Lee worked at DWR in the marketing department, Rob Young would pop in every morning, as if they hadn’t seen each other an hour earlier! They really loved each other and were there for each other every single day.
Lee worked with many people in the industry – of course she was with Rob and his team at Theatre and Studio, and when she came to DWR in February 2017, she helped in so many ways with swag, making travel arrangements (you may have met her when she arranged the trip to Prolight + Sound last year) and she was also very involved with the SOS Charity Fund. Lee was a mixture of being sensible and practical but with a heart that reached out to people.
Near the end, her special daughter Yvette Messinis moved in and this was their time together where Yvette was so wonderful and helpful to her mom. If you see the two of them, they’re like clones – Yvette was blessed with her mom’s great legs and a great sense of humour! Rob’s daughter, Katie, was in Johannesburg over this time too and we know that Lee also loved her so much. With her son, Kevin, coming up from Durban over the last week, it must have been comforting for Lee to have the all people she cared about most living with her during this time.
At DWR, it’s hard to see everyone at the office today. Everyone has a a sense sadness, Lee was a friend to so many of us. We love you Lee and we’ll miss you. Rob we love you and we’ll be here for you always.
Eloise Baird, 20-02-1957 to 02-02-2020, forever young.
