Agnes Hood, 88, actress, horticulturist, volunteer

Agnes "Bitsy" Birney Hood, 88, formerly of Wayne, a pioneering television actress, horticulturist, and volunteer, died of pneumonia July 19 at Dunwoody Village in Newtown Square.

For five years in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Mrs. Hood played a character, Poppit, on Playtime. The children's television program was produced in Washington and syndicated by NBC to stations as far away as Boston.

In 1952, she left her television career to marry Louis Hood. The couple met through their siblings and had their first date in Paris. She was on vacation and he was working as a diplomatic courier. "We had dinner at L'Auberge de Coo Coo," he said. They later traveled the world and often returned to Paris.

In the early years of their marriage, the Hoods lived in Washington, in Philadelphia for three years, and in Cleveland for eight years. They returned to Philadelphia in 1971 when Louis Hood became public relations director for the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Mrs. Hood participated in orchestra fund-raising projects, including the Women's Committee Cookbook. She was an active volunteer for the Junior League of Philadelphia; the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Red Cross; and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.

She served on the board of the Garden Club of America and was a member of the Four Counties Garden Club. The club won ribbons for group entries at the Philadelphia Flower Show. Mrs. Hood won her own ribbons in the show's flower-arranging and compositions categories. She was considered a top competitor in her field, her husband said, and became a flower-arranging judge.

While living in Cleveland, she had a floral business, Flowers by Them, and later had a business in Philadelphia, Occasional Flowers.

Mrs. Hood and her husband gardened together for more than 30 years at their 18th-century home in Wayne and took courses at Longwood Gardens. Their hillside garden was included on tours to benefit Independence National Historical Park, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the Shipley School, and the Scott and Jenkins Arboretums.

Until recently, Mrs. Hood was a volunteer at the Jenkins Arboretum, where she conducted flower-arranging classes. She was a member of the flower guild of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Bryn Mawr and St. David's Episcopal Church in Wayne.

She and her husband moved to Dunwoody Village, a retirement community, six years ago.

Mrs. Hood grew up in Washington, where her family had lived for four generations. She earned a bachelor's degree from Wells College in Aurora, N.Y., and a master's degree from Yale School of Drama.

Besides her husband of 57 years, she is survived by a son, Duncan; daughters Sarah Salomon and Corky Goetzke; three brothers; and 10 grandchildren.

A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Aug. 7 at St. David's Episcopal Church, 763 S. Valley Forge Rd., Wayne.

Donations may be made to the Jenkins Arboretum, 631 Berwyn Baptist Rd., Devon, Pa. 19333.

Contact staff writer Sally A. Downey at 215-854-2913 or sdowney@phillynews.com.