Pieter (Pietie) Van Dyk Birnie  passed away on January 6, 2024 at her home in Hanover, surrounded by her three loving children. She was seventy-five.

Pietie was born in Rochester, NY, to Orrin and Adrienne Van Dyk. She was raised in Ithaca, NY and was an intrepid swimmer and sailor, swimming across Cayuga Lake at age 10 with her sisters. Upon graduating from Wellesley College, Pietie struck out for Paris, where she lived and worked and flourished, becoming a card-carrying Francophile and mastering the language to such a degree that more than 50 years later, on a trip to Paris with her 3 children last year, multiple people observed she spoke French with no accent. She remained lifelong friends with the Paris apartment-mates she found. Returning stateside, she worked as a travel agent at Crimson Travel. Her newfound Cambridge, MA housemates also would become lifelong friends. At a party in that house, Pietie met her husband, Richard (Dick) Birnie. On their first dinner date, he sealed the deal by preparing the perfect Jello mold dessert. “Fruited Jello” thereby became a family favorite.

Pietie and Dick moved to Etna, NH in 1976, where they planted lifelong roots. Pietie dedicated much talent, time, and love to a variety of pursuits with her family and the community. She was instrumental in the early years of the Hanover-Joigny Exchange, a cultural immersion and exchange program between the town of Hanover and the town of Joigny, France. She was chaperone, host, and organizer extraordinaire, to the benefit of many students. She made enduring friendships with her counterparts in Joigny. As an avid gardener, Pietie was deeply invested in the Hanover Garden Club. She loved designing and planting various town gardens and organizing the hanging baskets on Main Street; but most of all she cherished the friendships and camaraderie of her fellow members.

After retiring from the Executive Education team at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, Pietie and Dick decamped to Paris for an extended stay. Pietie enjoyed mastering the art of French cooking at the Cordon Bleu, and daily trips to the food markets. Once empty nesters, Pietie and Dick continued to travel together and with friends, near and far. Pietie relished the adventure and novelty of travel; the satisfaction of a delicious meal; the range of her children’s diverse interests; the creativity in her granddaughters' artwork; and the frequent company of her family.

Pietie’s most recent adventure was as grandmother to her four granddaughters, Abigail Birnie (7), Charlotte Grey (6), Rose Grey (6), and April Birnie (4). She was overjoyed to introduce them to France for her 70th birthday. She was an energetic and attentive grandmother, and had a special ability to see and nurture the unique interests of each of her granddaughters. Her favorite times were hand-in-hand with a granddaughter scouring the beach collecting crabs; quietly contemplating a treasured book; doling out limitless swing pushes; and learning about turtles.

Pietie is survived by her children: Katherine Birnie and her husband Wayne Keysor of Portland, ME; Peter Birnie and his wife Kate of Duxbury, MA; and Elisabeth Grey and her husband Mark of Maplewood, NJ; and by her sisters Adrienne Van Dyk of West Hartford, CT, and Barbara Van Dyk of Ithaca, NY. She is predeceased by her husband Dick Birnie (1944 - 2016), her infant daughter Betsy, and her parents.

A celebration of Pietie’s life will be planned for spring 2024, with details to follow. A big proponent of reading, the Etna Library was an important destination for Pietie. She walked there with her children, and volunteered her time. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes contributions to the Etna Library in Etna, NH (etna-library.org [etna-library.org], P.O. Box 207, Etna, NH 03750).

 

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