Nurse, Music Lover, and Mother of 7 Dies at 91

Former Rye resident Edith Wald’s life was marked by her care for others as well as her passion for social justice.
Edith Wald

Edith Wald, nurse, mother of seven, music lover, avid New Yorker, and intrepid world traveler, died in Redding, Conn., on July 19, 2025. She was 91.

Born in 1933 in Bayonne, N.J., Edith attended Skidmore College. She eventually moved to Rye, where she raised her children with her husband, Arnold M. Wald, MD. They remained married for 25 years.

In her forties, Edith returned to school, earning her B.S. and M.S. in nursing, which led to a long career as a psychiatric nurse. She lived for 40 years on the East Side of Manhattan.

During the course of her life, Edith traveled as far as China, India, Israel, and Russia. She spent time in Ethiopia as a volunteer nurse during the 1984 famine. She was a social activist, accompanying her family to Washington, D.C., many times to protest the Vietnam War. Later in life, she was a member of the singing protest group, The Raging Grannies.

Edith instilled a love of music, travel, the arts, and social justice in all of her children, and she took great pride in their achievements. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Elizabeth. She is survived by six children: Cathy, Adrienne, Richard, Lois, Dan, and David; son-in-law, Mike Barnow; daughters-in-law, Lisa Wald and Louise Anselmo; eight grandchildren: Aaron Wald, Benjamin Cole, Emma Kvaale, Emme H. Wald, Jason Wald, Jeremy Bauman, Nina Cole, and Samara Wald; and one great-grandchild, Ida Lubeck.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Cancer Support Team or the Metropolitan Opera House.

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