Marla Louise Bird passed away on July 24th at 92-years-old, after a long, eventful and fruitful life. She leaves behind two sons and two daughters, four step-daughters, eleven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. She spent her last days at Hoag Hospital in Irvine with intense chronic pain from a destroyed knee. Surgery was performed to replace it. She knew the risks were high due to her age, but was ready for any outcome. Her lungs could not keep up with the demands of recovery and she accepted the fact that it was time to say her goodbyes. At her side were several loving family members including her grandkids Cole, Kyle and Madi, their mom Nancy, Marla's son Kelly and his wife Kim. At the end she briefly struggled to breathe, then relaxed into it and left us.

Born on June 1, 1928 in Brighton, Colorado, Marla lived the typical life of a country girl in the 1930's, learning the values she held her whole life. She met and later married Glenn Christensen, who had just returned from his harrowing tour of duty in the U. S. Army Air Force.Marla had not quite turned twenty when they married, and by twenty-six she had four children, David, Kate, Melissa and Kelly.

The family lived in Riverside, California in the 1950's and 60's and started a very successful high-end fashion boutique called GKC, Glenn's initials, in the newly-opened Riverside Plaza. Life Magazine followed them to New York in 1957 when they were among the first to bring women's fashions from New York and Paris to the West Coast. In addition to buying trips in Los Angeles and NYC, Marla worked with advertisers and wrote columns about the store for the local newspaper. She and Glenn created lunchtime fashion shows and the Scholarshop, one of the first clothing stores specifically for teenagers.

Both Marla and Glenn later remarried. Marla's husband Ken Bird (1915-1998) was an avid and eclectic collector of art and devoted father to four girls, Ellen, Ann, Pristen, and Deborah. Marla and Ken travelled to Europe—to Paris, Rome, the Danube for a culinary river cruise, to Brazil, and to NYC, this time for the art museums. Her love for the local art scene brought her to the Laguna Art Museum, which eventually installed her as President. A tribute from the museum follows this section. She memorably rescued paintings from a flooded museum basement.

Marla took two trips to Africa where she developed a passion for the local people she met there and of course for the elephants, and monkeys who would find their way into the cabins and go through the make-up bags. Her care for the natural world was among her main interests later in life.

Marla wrote for Bon Appetit in the 80's. She interviewed M.F.K. Fisher, a revered author of the culinary world, for the magazine. She was an editor and restaurant critic for a local newspaper. Her restaurant connections helped immensely with her volunteer work with the local charity Share Our Selves.

Marla loved her big family. Christmas traditions included Michael Field's Curried Chicken with Nine Condiments, wind-up toys at the place settings, and spectacular flower arrangements. Marla's greatest treasure and her greatest concern was always her family. She found pride and comfort in how well we all turned out. Among us are scientists, teachers, bankers, doctors, artists and other professionals, with children of their own with equal success. Marla has much to be proud of. Her tribe includes her kids, Kelly, Melissa, Kate and Dave, and Ken's kids , Ellen, Pristen, Deborah, and Ann, all of their wonderful spouses and significant others, and her twelve grandchildren Glen, Kyle, Madilyn, Cole, Camille, Hannah, Nicholas, Erica, Rachel, Grace, Sofia and Lauren, and Marla's great grandchildren, Hayden Rose, Cole, Weston, Isla and Mariana.



Her greatest pleasure in later years was her regular Friday lunch with her book club buddies, later to become her wine club buddies, usually at the Golden Truffle with Alan Greeley working his magic in the kitchen. Mom, they sent their regards, said bon voyage, and sadly toasted you at a recent lunch.

It has been a bon voyage indeed. We all toast you, and we all love you.

Tributes from the siblings:

Kelly Christensen: Complicated—but well worth the trouble.

Ann Brooks: Marla left us all well-nourished in her gourmet curry of courage,
spirit, tenacity, diligence, and spitfire wit.

Kate Christensen: She was an avid Rachel Maddow watcher. We couldn't talk to her
on the phone when Rachel was on.

Pristen Bird: First to call me darling and to challenge our father, to ask difficult sometimes intrusive questions, yet ever surprise me with her love of and curiosity about all things today.

Deborah Bird: I liked being one-on-one with Marla: politics, book banter, and two whole boiled lobsters, all served up with clarified butter and loving humor.

David Christensen: Mom never wavered in her conviction that I could be better, achieve better, and, of course, vote better.

Ellen Peters: Marla was a mother figure and a beloved friend—quick, keen, funny, loving, generous, sometimes prickly, and always full of pizzazz! Now whom will I talk to about books, food, beautiful flowers, and complicated ideas?

Melissa Christensen Malouf:Mom loved caviar and a Stoli vodka martini, Two-buck Chuck white wine with KFC, not all at the same time. And most of all Jazz, her lovely little Shih Tzu, who was her constant companion.

From the Laguna Art Museum
Janet Blake, Curator of Historical Art
July 30, 2020

For those of us at Laguna Art Museum who have long memories of our storied history, there are a few people who stand out because of their years of commitment to the museum in fulfilling its promise to the art of California. Marla Bird is one of those people. Her contributions began in 1979 when she was first appointed to the board of trustees of the Laguna Beach Museum of Art. The following year, she and her husband Ken hosted a holiday party at their home in Cameo Shores where one of the guests was the newly appointed director of the museum, William Otton, who would take over the reins in the new year, 1981, the year that Marla was elected board president. Membership rose by over fifty percent and the museum budget nearly tripled, just in the first two years of her tenure. It was the beginning of many changes and years of growth as the museum grew to become Laguna Art Museum with an amazing transformation and remodeling in 1986.As the museum's capital campaign moved forward, Marla was deeply involved in numerous fundraising events. There were amazing concerts in the Irvine Bowl, the first, in 1981, featuring Ella Fitzgerald, an event that netted $46,000. Two years later there was a concert by Sarah Vaughan and the Pacific Symphony. Marla celebrated the opening of the newly-remodeled and re-christened Laguna Art Museum in September 1986. Her commitment never wavered, even though some difficult years followed. Her service continued with the newly re-established Laguna Art Museum in 1998, where she as a Legacy Circle member and also served for many years on the advisory board and contemporary art council. My earliest memory of Marla dates to 1983 when the retrospective exhibition for Millard Sheets was presented. I will remember her smile, her poise, and her warmth. She was indeed one of our best and shall be missed.


From Share Our Selves
Karen L. McGlinn, Foundation Operations Officer
July 28, 2020

I was saddened to hear of Marla's passing as her work with SOS is historic.I had the privilege of working close with Marla to establish our food pantry as she connected me with our chefs and the food service industry in an innovative project to assure we would never be without food for those who struggled.I treasured my friendship with her and she always reminded me gently that I had more to do just as she was always doing more.Marla had a style that will never be replicated and her style is one I will always treasure.We will notify our volunteers and post a notice at SOS and please keep me informed if at any time there will be a celebration of her life. I will keep you and all of her family close in my hearts.Karen

P.S.Her Christmas party "Fabulous Femmes" was a highlight of the holiday season.I always considered I had made it to be included in her roster of unusual and gifted women.Marla was one of a kind