George Raymond Baptist

George Raymond Baptist September 25, 1932- April 18, 2021 (88yrs old) Dad loved his family. His entire family. They were everything to him. His life was devoted to being there for ALL of us. He was completely in love with my mom, who he loved to call “my sweetheart,” for the entire 62 years they spent together. He loved getting together with his brothers and sisters (he was number 9 out of 10) and their families to visit, laugh and play together. He loved table games. He was very interested in history and geography which lead to his career as a teacher. He loved maps and the history of towns and waterways. He loved to follow rivers and streams to find out their paths and origins. He devoted his life to providing for his immediate family. Though his focus was never on careers and investments that would bring in large earnings, no man on the face of the earth worked harder than he did. Up early to get off to teaching school, after school jobs to earn extra money, then home to fix bicycles, throw balls, or drive us to sporting events and then late night repairs on the house or mowing the lawn in the dark. Sabbath after church was ALWAYS family time. Picnics, parks, sand dunes, but especially the hikes. Never a set destination, just heading out and seeing where the experience would take us. Many of our friends and cousins would join us for the weekly adventures with Dad leading the way. He was an avid Chicago sports fan. Many times we would wake up on a Sunday morning and say to us “the Cubs are playing a double header today. Let’s go.” Then he would load us into the car and head for Wrigley Field. He left behind as his fan legacy, Chicago sports loving children and grandchildren. As we got older he would always be there on the sidelines or in the stands to cheer us on in out baseball, softball, flag ball, basketball, or floor hockey games. He never missed a school event. He taught us all how to drive using his sink or swim method. He would drive with us in the car out into the middle of nowhere, pull the car over, switch seats with us and then say, find your way home. It was not only important to him that we knew the mechanics of driving, but also that we had situational awareness and a keen sense of direction. He was the mechanic we turned to with car troubles or later the repairs on our homes. His knowledge of tools and home repairs aided me on the path to my contracting career. He was the perfect father who disciplined firm yet with abundant love. He showed me how to be a good father by example, from crawling around on the floor like a horse giving us rides when we were small to being there for help and advice with my new family and responsibilities once I reached adulthood. I patterned my fathering by his wonderful example. His love and devotion carried on to his grandchildren who he also loved to play with, attended school plays and sporting events, taught to drive and use tools and took on adventure walks. His two great-grandchildren lit up his life every time they or we visited. He was a soldier, a teacher, and a carpenter. He was a brother, husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He was a selfless man. He was kind, funny, playful, and above all loving. I will miss him tremendously every single day for the rest of my life. I’m sure he will be greatly missed by his entire extended family. Thank you Dad, You were so greatly loved.