Vance Donald Baldwin

Vance Baldwin was born February 8, 1934 in Long Beach, California to Madeleine (nee Iungerich) and Melville Baldwin. He was raised by his mother and stepfather, Hank Nyboer, and the family grew with the birth of his brother Rolf, called Rolly. The brothers were close throughout their lives.

Vance’s deep sense of responsibility and unending perseverance was clear early in his life when he was honored by the local school system for thirteen years of perfect attendance. This grounded dependability continued for the rest of his life as those who knew him also knew without a doubt that if he said he would do something, he would do it.

When Vance was in high school he met the love of his life, Bonnie Chalmers. They began dating their senior year, became engaged a year later, and married in the fall of 1953. They were married for 70 years, sharing a deep commitment to each other, their family, and their community.

Vance attended Fullerton Junior College where he played football and was an All-Eastern Conference all-star center. He was awarded Most Inspirational College Athlete of the Year, for “not only being an inspiration to his teammates on the gridiron, but also as a student leader.”

He transferred to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo on a football scholarship. While in San Luis Obispo he and Bonnie both worked (Vance still playing football and going to classes) to put him through school and had their first daughter, Jeannine, in 1956.

Vance had studied agriculture and earned a teaching credential; they moved to Gilroy in 1957 for his first job. Little did they know how important their Gilroy community and friends would be for them for the rest of their lives. Son Greg was born in 1958, and daughter Janice came along in 1962.

They lived in town at first, then moved out to a ranch on New Avenue, where Vance put his agricultural skills to work, managing the field irrigation, cattle rotation, and pest control while also teaching full time. This idyllic setting was the backdrop of many family stories involving a big red barn, a dog named Pokey, overflowing water tanks, and Easter Egg hunts with lots of friends and family.

A group of families bonded during that shared peak intensity period of early family and early careers, with the bonds continuing now into a third generation. Vance’s friendships, especially with a particular group of men, made in Gilroy, continued very close from that time and strengthened when Vance and Bonnie moved back to the Monterey area. They met monthly for breakfast and with much laughter referred to the group as Retired Old Men Eating Out (The Romeos). This past February Vance hosted a breakfast get-together for his 90th birthday, with a turnout of 9 Romeos.

His career as a teacher began at Gilroy High School, where he taught Vocational Agriculture and was the advisor for Future Farmers of America. Vance had a passion for inspiring and guiding the next generation of students, serving as the adviser for FFA, and advisor for the student Rotary club. He was Dean of Students at Gilroy High, then Associate Superintendent of Schools in Gilroy. In 1979 they moved to St. Helena where Vance became Superintendent of Schools for 8 years, before moving to Monterey, where he was Superintendent of Schools for Carmel Unified. Vance was an educator for 35 years, 22 of those years as an executive at the district level. He was widely known as an expert in education leadership, and was especially admired for his ability to understand and respect every level of work across the district. This helped him build and maintain relationships with parents, teachers, students and more throughout his career and across several districts.

Vance was a Green Bay Packers fan all his life, and became a 49’ers fan when he moved to Gilroy, mostly to get along with the local fanatic 49’er Faithful. He enjoyed golf, playing as often as he could, and was a volunteer marshall for local tournaments as well as the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach for many years. Vance loved watching his favorite teams and golfing on the weekends unless he was in his yard, planting and tending to a veritable jungle of greens in some old Wranglers and very beat up work boots, going through at least 11 pairs (that his family knew about). Bonnie planted succulents in those boots when he was finished with them, and they could be found in various places in the garden. He grew magnificent roses, cutting blooms for Bonnie at every opportunity. He also built a red barn (shed) in his backyard, sourced the perfect red paint, added a reclaimed vintage barn door for authenticity, then for romance carved a heart on the front post, with B+V inside it.

Throughout their life Vance and Bonnie traveled often, visiting family and friends both near and far. This included China, Europe and the U.K., Central America, and many, many states in the U.S. often taking their grandchildren with them. In retirement, one of their favorite things to do was to walk the coastal trail every morning, making friends along the way, even with the animals. Joining them on this morning walk was part of every family visit to Monterey.

Vance was a proud parent to Jeannine, Greg, and Janice and was overjoyed with each addition to the family. He loved seeing his eight grandkids play sports, excel in school and studies, and go on to careers. By example, Vance instilled the deep belief in his children and grandchildren that they could do anything they set their minds to, and that they could be a helping hand to others, passing on the desire and joy of giving back to one’s community.

Vance was predeceased by his wife, Bonnie, and leaves his three children: Jeannine, (Steve); Greg, (Denise); and Janice; eight grandchildren: Matthew, (Adrienne); Jillian; Rory, (Shannon); Ryan, Marissa, (Sean); Natalie; Alexandra; Dominic, (Amberly); and three great grandchildren.

He is missed everyday.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, November 23, 2024 at the First Presbyterian Church of Monterey at 1:00 pm