John Donald Baier 1917-2011

J.D. (Don) Baier passed away quietly Thursday, December 15, 2011 here in Akron, Colorado. He was surrounded by loved ones. He served as the Operations Manager for the Y-W Electric Association from 1969-1979 when he retired.

He was born to John and Helena Baier of Hoxie, Kansas, on January 26, 1917 and spent his early life on the farm there. Moving to Colorado as a young man, J.D. learned the electrical trade in Montana and joined Y-W in 1946. As a journeyman, lineman, and foreman of hot line maintenance and construction crews he worked building and maintaining electrical lines and service to homes, farms, and fields throughout Washington and Yuma counties.

He moved to Santa Ana, California, in 1955, to help begin a commercial electric business with his brother, Bill. There, J.D. and his wife Verda raised their three children, Dean, Don, and Gisele. He worked in California as an electrician and electrical inspector until 1969 when Y-W offered him the position of Operations Manager.

Back in Akron, he faced many challenges in providing full scale electrical service to rural Northeast Colorado, supervising crews and coordinating the construction and maintenance of hundreds of miles of power lines and distribution substations. He recalled proudly, one of those challenges, a devastating snow storm in March, 1977, which downed lines and broke hundreds of poles throughout the entire Y-W area and beyond. He supervised the removal of debris and reconstruction of a great deal of the entire utility's infrastructure, coordinating not only Y-W crew but those of surrounding counties and states called in to help restore power. Honored by the Y-W Board of Directors, he said that he was most proud of the men and women who got the job done and beside whom he had the privilege to work.

After his retirement in 1979, he relocated to Prescott, Arizona, where he lived with his wife, Norma. There, after her stroke of some four years ago, he cared for her, as primary caregiver, until at age 94; his own health began to wane. In August, he returned to Akron to recuperate at Gisele's home, under her loving care. While he had hoped to return to Arizona by spring, he passed away a little more than a month from turning 95 years of age.

He was preceded in death by his father and mother, his brothers Bill and Allen, his sisters Hazel and Ruth, his first wife Naomi and their sons Sam and Jimmy, his grandson, Robert James Bauder, as well as his second wife, Verda. He is survived by his wife Norma, daughters Donna Jean Bauder, Gisele Leavell, and sons Dean and Don Bair, along with nephews, nieces, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who loved him dearly, who knew him as a kind and caring man, and who already miss his quiet reasoning, resourcefulness, and thought.

His kids would like to say, Thanks, Dad, you taught us so much. Rest easy now. And in final tribute to the hardworking man he was, we wanted to remind those who knew him well of a phrase that we heard so many times as he came home, getting out of his Y-W vehicle. It seems fitting here. "Signing off now—13's Clear.
A Memorial Service will be held Friday, January 6, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. at the Trinity Lutheran Church. Inurnment will be held at a later date in Prescott, AZ. Memorial donations may be made to Akron Meet and Eat.