(Wally, “Touche”)
Wally Baldwin – Husband, Dad, Grandpa, Grandpa Great, Brother and Friend passed away in South Jordan, Utah on February 26th, 2021
He was born on December 7th, 1931 in Mohrland, Utah to William Wallace Baldwin and Bertrude Amelia Day. He was the older Brother to Geraldine (Geri) Blackburn and they remained the best of friends until the very end.
Wally was proud to have grown up in Hiawatha, Utah and, later, became a self-proclaimed “Historian” gathering hundreds and hundreds of articles, obituaries and pictures to preserve and share his love of Hiawatha. He looked forward, every Summer, to the Hiawatha Days Reunion where he could reminisce with others with ties to the small town.
In January 1951, Wally decided it was time to leave Hiawatha and joined the US Air Force where he earned the rank of Staff Sergeant and was Honorably discharged in December of 1954. He, still, often talked about the people he met during his time in the Air Force and shared many stories of his time in Germany.
Wally married Neldona (Donnie) Wickman on February 4th, 1956. Together they built their life while moving between various cities in Utah and Idaho and finally settling in Murray, Utah to raise their Children and enter their “Golden Years”.
Together as a family, many memories were made on camping trips with family and friends. Some of the favorites were Island Park, Wasatch State Park, Joes Valley and, of course, the family cabin in Fairview. As Dad and Mom grew older they, also, enjoyed traveling. They were able to visit many places across the U.S. and, also, got to go on some memorable cruises with a group of their close friends.
Wally was a salesman all of his life using his ability to talk to anyone not only in his years of work while selling medical supplies and, eventually, chemicals for VWR Scientific and Dyce Chemical but, also, to make friends and brighten peoples day wherever he went. One thing that he was known for was finding a family with very well behaved children, while dining in a restaurant, and asking the Parents if he could “reward” the Children with a Dollar. He loved seeing the reactions – of both the Parents and the Children.
Dad was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and served in multiple capacities but particularly enjoyed his years in Scouting and multiple Bishoprics.
Dad, also, loved Genealogy and began, early in his Adult life, researching and tracing his family line – ultimately connecting over 100 thousand ancestors and entering them into his database. He shared his passion of “looking for dead people” with all of those around him.
Dad was a strong Patriarch for his Family. He was always there to provide advice to his Children, Grandchildren, and Great Grandchildren and loved being around them – whether supporting them at an activity, celebrating a special event or just visiting during a “lunch date” in the car while admiring the blue sky he loved and enjoying his favorite meal – a McDonalds #2 breakfast, Diet Coke with light ice and an Apple Pie.
In addition to his own Family, Dad provided advice and wisdom to many of his childrens friends and kids from the neighborhood or wards that he lived in. He was well respected by everyone he met.
We would like to thank Tammi and Rick for the selfless service they gave taking care of Dad for the last two years as his health declined. We are, also, thankful for the caring staff at Legacy House in South Jordan for the love and assistance provided during his last two weeks.
Wally is survived by his Children, Tammi (Rick) Hagen, Melinda Hartley, and Jenn (Chris) Blake; 8 Grandchildren; 8 Great Grandchildren; and his Sister, Geri Blackburn.
He was preceded in death by his Wife; his Parents; Son, Steven Ray Baldwin; and Granddaughter, Bailey Grace Blake.
We know that he was so happy for those special reunions.
Funeral Services will be held at the Winder West 13th Ward LDS Chapel – 4350 South 1100 East – at 11 AM on Friday, March 5th. Friends may call at a visitation at the Church Thursday, March 4th from 6 to 8 PM or between 9:45 and 10:45 AM prior to the service on Friday.
Facemasks will be required and we ask that you take care to social distance.
For those unable to attend in person, services will be broadcast by Zoom. Please join with the following link.
https://zoom.us/j/93517109345?pwd=b20vSzcwbUZQaUtpbTFmVEdFZ3o0UT09
Meeting ID: 935 1710 9345
Passcode: 547408
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