BATY, David H.

BATY, WILSON

Posted By: L. Logue (email)
Date: 8/25/2015 at 18:44:30

Olathe, Kansas - July 2015

David H. Baty of Olathe, Kansas, went to be with his Lord on July 10, 2015. He was a committed follower of Christ, a great Churchman and a devoted husband and father.

He was born on October 27, 1935 in Bain, Minnesota, the 10th child of William Bryan and Ariel Susannah Baty. As a child, he was raised in a small country town. There he would freely roam the countryside with his slingshot and dog by his side. He said that was one of his favorite childhood memories.

When he was 16 months old, a sister, Rachel Ann was born and they became constant companions. With such a large family they even had to share a bedroom at one time.

As a teenager; David and his family moved to Lincoln, Nebraska, so that his dad could get steady work. It was there that he met Virginia M. Wilson. They both atended a Jack Schuller citywide revival in February, 1953.

David always loved music and he and Virginia sang in the choir during the crusade. His sister, Grace, was Virginia's friend and introduced them. Virginia invited Grace to "come over sometime." David was standing behind Grace and said, "Okay, I'll do that." You could say the "rest is history." They quickly fell in love and were married on November 6, 1953.

Following their marriage, David and Virginia moved to Marion, Indiana, so that he could attend the Wesleyan College there. While in school, he worked at the RCA factory, TV bulb division and Virginia worked as a home maker. In 1959 the family moved back to Lincoln, NE.

By 1960, they were the parents of five children, three boys and two girls, Duane, Robert, Dale, Barbara and Opal. All of the children got married and have families of their own and sometimes it's hard to keep track of them all. There are currently 13 grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren, with more on the way.

While living in Lincoln, David tried several avenues of employment, including selling cookware, Rainbow vacuum cleaners, laying brick and selling insurance. However, after some time he became a carpenter and did that line of work for a significant part of his life. Due to a job lay-off in Lincoln, a friend offered him a job framing houses in Olathe, Kansas, and he and Virginia moved there in 1977. In 1982, David was injured in a construction accident that severed the artery to his right lower leg. After two years and 10 surgeries, he was given a 50 percent disability in that leg. At that time, other work was hard to find. Having sharpened circular saw blades for his boss, David decided to pursue that field. He attended the Belsaw Sharpening School in Kansas City, MO and, with assistance from workman's compensation, went into business and "David Baty Sharpening Service" was born. This business became his source of income until his retirement in 2011.

David and Virginia have been active members of College Church of the Nazarene in Olathe, KS, since 1977. David sang in the choir and participated in every performance of the "Victor" and the "Living Christmas Tree." He served as a secretary in their Sunday School class. He also was a part of the ROMEO gang (Retired Old Men Eating Out) and he enjoyed getting together for coffee, snacks and "theological" discussions. His other favorite hobbies were fishing and hunting and watching any type of sporting event. He loved to go bowling in his younger years but had to quit at 70.

God has been good to him and to us. Recently, he told his son, Duane, that he did not know why God loved us so much. Duane replied; "That is the mystery of God's grace."