Edith Iselin Byron, the wife of Frederick William Byron, Jr., died on Saturday, Dec. 30, after a short illness. She was 80.

Edith, a proud native of New York City, had called Amherst home for 50 years since she moved there with her husband when he took a position teaching physics at the University of Massachusetts.  She also spent a couple of weeks each summer for the past 25 years in her beloved Greensboro, VT.

Community organizations in Amherst benefited from Edith’s time and commitment. Reading was one of Edith’s great passions leading her to the Jones Library, where she got many books that entertained and educated her two children, as well as to the Friends of the Jones Library.  Edith was actively involved in fundraising for the Friends that benefited the library, including its annual book sale. She also organized events for Amherst school children at the library where they received a library card and learned how the institution could benefit them.

Other passions of Edith’s life included theater and the visual arts. Edith was an accomplished stage performer during her years at Radcliffe College. In the years that followed, Edith was a devoted follower of stage productions in New York City, Boston, Hartford, and New Haven as well as locally.

Following in the footsteps of her father, the late Lewis Iselin, Jr., Edith pursued a career as an artist as much as she could while also being a wife and mother. Her paintings were displayed locally and in Boston and also continue to grace the homes of people who knew and appreciated her work. Edith’s love of art got her involved in Amherst’s public art commission, which commissioned several works by area artists, and the Amherst Cultural Council.

First and foremost, Edith saw her role as being a wife and mother. Edith’s children and grandchildren will always benefit from the priority she placed on their education. Edith herself was a graduate of the Brearley School in New York City and Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Mass. The importance Edith placed on being a mother also manifested itself in the energy and focus she applied to helping her older son Ken live with juvenile diabetes. The gift from this is a healthy life for which Ken will be forever grateful.

In addition to her husband of 56 years, Edith is survived by: her two sons and their wives, Ken and Julie Byron of Berlin, CT. and Alex Byron and Nikki Maguire of Oakland, CA; her sister Sarah Iselin of Norman, OK; a granddaughter, Rebecca Byron of Berlin, CT.; and two grandsons, James and Nathaniel Byron of Oakland, CA. In addition to her father, Edith was predeceased by her mother, Sally Cary Iselin of New York City.

Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that people make memorial donations to either the Jones Library at https://www.joneslibrary.org or the Friends of the Jones Library so they can continue their good work.