Willy D. Baum

Willy D. “Bill” Baum, 76, of Florida, formerly of Shawano, passed away on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015. Willy was born in Shawano on June 19, 1939, to the late Willy O. and Ethel (Donaldson) Baum. He was raised and went to high school in Bowler from 1953-1957. While in school, he served as president of his class and on the student council, was part of Badger Boys State and graduated as class salutatorian. In 1962, Willy was inducted into the United States Army and served our country until 1965. After his discharge, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 1967 and his Masters of Arts from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in 1969. Willy was later appointed a foreign service officer, a consular officer, and a secretary in the diplomatic service of the United States of America by President Ronald Reagan. He received numerous awards from the governments of America, Korea, Philippines and Thailand, as well as from private organizations such as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and CARE (Cooperative for American Relief Everywhere). He traveled to every continent, and met presidents, prime ministers, princes and people — wonderful, wonderful people. Willy had a strong belief that some of the greatest words in the English language are peace, love, tolerance and understanding. He believed that Jesus gave the perfect commandment for all time: love thy neighbor as thyself and do onto others as you would have them do onto you. He strongly believed that if we could bring ourselves to live by that one command, war, poverty, injustice and most other miseries of the world would disappear. Willy was a kind, generous and loyal man who touched many lives. He will be truly missed by his family and friends. Willy is survived by his children, Willy C. Baum, of Springfield, Virginia, and Kathryn Baum (partner Sara Roer), of Brooklyn, New York; and one brother, Bruce O. Baum, of Shawano. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, 2015, at Swedberg Funeral Home in Shawano with the Rev. Clifford Kessen officiating. Military rites will be conducted at the funeral home by Shawano American Legion Post 117, with a spring burial in Union Cemetery in Tigerton. Visitation will be at the funeral home on Thursday from 1 p.m. until the time of the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Fund at www.uwosh.edu/uwofund. The UW-Oshkosh Fund helps students succeed by providing funds for scholarships and employment opportunities.