Nat Baird 1902 - 1987

BAIRD, HARING, KEARNEY, RUST, SWANSON, SMITH

Posted By: Michael J. Kearney (email)
Date: 1/24/2008 at 19:23:53

Clinton Herald Monday October 12, 1987 p. 10 Nat Baird, 84, of DeWitt, died Saturday in his home. The funeral will be 1 p.m. Tuesday in First Congregational United Church of Christ with the Rev. Mark Buck officiating. Visitation will be after 2 p.m. today in Schultz-McGinnis Funeral Home where a Masonic service will be held at 7 p.m. Burial will be in Elmwood Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Don Meier, Glen Rusch, Dennis Mumm, Bill Homrighausen, Kim Haring, John Galitz, Cliff Barber and John Siefert. Honorary pallbearers will be Ray Brown, Carl Smith, Art Jessen, Gene Farus, Jim Tokheim, Bob Waggoner, Nelson Quigley, Herb Anderson, Darrell Rebik and Darrell Hawkins. Mr. Baird was born Nov. 21, 1902, in DeWitt to Herbert and Kathryn Haring Baird Kearney. He married Viola Rust, June 30, 1930, in Nashua, Iowa. He was a teacher and coached football, basketball and track at DeWitt High School from 1928-1943, and retired in 1973 as vice president of Iowa Mutual Insurance Co., DeWitt, where he had been employed since 1943, He was a member and held numerous offices at First Congregational United Church of Christ where he taught Sunday school for 40 years. Mr. Baird was a member for more than 50 years of DeWitt Masonic Lodge No. 34, served more than 60 years in Boy Scouts earning the Silver Beaver award, was past president of DeWitt School Board, and a member of DeWitt Hospital and West Wing building committees, served 30 years on the hospital board of directors, was past president and 44-year trustee of DeWitt Public Library Board, and a 34-year and charter member of DeWitt Noon Lyons Club. Survivors include his wife; a daughter, Mrs. Marian Swanson, of DeWitt; a son, Nat Jr. of Atlanta, Ga.; four grandchildren; a great-granddaughter; a sister, Mrs. Helen Smith, of DeWitt; and a brother, L. Jim, of CharlesTown, W.Va. He was preceded in death by a sister and a brother.