Vincent Baumer

VINCENT MICHAEL BAUMER, born March 3, 1919 in Winfield, New York, in his own words “at #27 Lee Ave. at my grandmother’s home and small farm” died peacefully on June 6, 2013 at 7:05 p.m.  Vince, also known as “Vin” or “Vinnie” in his life, was born of parents Charles Bartholomew “Charlie” Baumer (born Oct. 28, 1886) and Mary Apolonia Rapatta (born Dec. 27, 1887).  His paternal grandparents were John and Jacine Baumer from Syracuse, NY; and his maternal grandparents were Joseph and Mary Rappatta from Salzburg-Innsbruck, Austria.

At the time of his death, Vince was living with his youngest daughter, Susanne Cecelia Cotton, and her son, Cody Christian Cotton, in Fort Worth, Texas.  Vince also leaves behind his oldest daughter, Barbara Anne “Barby” Youngs and her husband Thomas Edward “Tom” Youngs, who live in upstate Milford, New York;  and a stepson James “Jim” Knight and his wife, Ruth, in Springville, Tennessee; and a stepdaughter, Barbara Knight Waters and her husband Gary, who live in Paris, Tennessee; and 12 grandchildren, including step-grandchildren, and 16 great grandchildren, including step-great grandchildren, as follows:  Tommy E. Youngs, Jr. , and his wife, Bonnie, in Pittsburg, PA; Patrick Youngs and his wife, Denise, in Clarksville, MD;  Jamey Knight and his wife, Amy, in Jackson, MO; Jennifer “Jenne” Tomlin Grant and her husband, Nick, in Fort Worth, TX; Christopher Youngs in Milford, NY; William “Billy” Youngs in Farmingdale, L.I., NY; Terance “Terry” Youngs in Milford, NY; Kathleen “Kathy” Youngs and Brian Monahan in Charlotte, NC ; Coleen Youngs Parker and her husband, Kurt, in Huntington Beach, CA; Matthew “Matt” Youngs and his wife, Harmony, in Milford, NY; Cody Christian Baumer Cotton in Fort Worth, TX; and Samantha Knight Miller and her husband, Chris, in Southhaven, MS.   Great Grandchildren include Catharine and Daniel Youngs  (and Thomas E. Youngs, III, born 3-17-95 but deceased); Caitlyn and Alyssa Tomlin; Brendan and Griffin Youngs;  Jessie Youngs;  Kaycee Youngs; Tyler and Drake Knight; Kelly Nicole Conger; Christopher “Junior” and Vincent Thomas Youngs; John Alden Parker; and Ryder Miller.
Vince’s siblings included his oldest brother, Thomas Joseph, born June 13, 1912 (deceased); Charles George (born  June 1916 and died of Spanish Influenza as an infant, December 1918); and Joseph James, born Jan. 11, 1922 (deceased).  His oldest brother Tom resided in Florida, and his brother Joe lived in Springville and later San Diego, where his wife, Ruth Baumer, still resides.  Both Vince and his brother Joe worked for a time for Holley Carburetor as security guards.  Vince also worked as a security guard for Paris Landing Park.  His brother Tom, a retired fireman, retired to Florida to run a private fishing boat.  Vince also leaves behind beloved friends and NY pen pals, Gladys Gilbert and Walter Koenig.
Vince was also a lucky man to have had two wives.  He married Sarah “Sally” Rita Quinn (born 1916)—something of a childhood sweetheart—on November 29, 1942 In Hicksville, Long Island, New York, who predeceased him on July 20, 1983.  At the time, they lived together in their Springville home but years prior lived in Bethpage and Oakdale, L.I., NY.  Later Vince married Waltraud “Trudy” Hock Knight (born 1926) on June 22, 1987, who also predeceased him on May 15, 2004.  At the time, they lived together in their Big Sandy, TN, home.  Having married Sally at the outbreak of WWII, they had a quick honeymoon but later another one at Atlantic City just before the War ended.  With Trudy, he honeymooned in the Bahamas.
As Vince was a World War II Veteran who left with the rank of Staff Sergeant in the US Army, he served honorably from February 1942 to June 1945. After the war he entered the Nassau County, L.I., New York, Police Department (NCPD) on  October  1, 1946. Besides being a man of letters and a poet in his leisure time, Vince was an avid gardener, loved the outdoors, baseball, and was a great musician. He played the guitar, harmonica, organ, banjo, ukulele and many other instruments and sang all the time. He was a wonderful entertainer!  In the late 1930s, he and Sally were part of a band called the “Brown Jug Mountaineers,” that played country and western music long before it became what it is today.  They also won a contest on “Major Bowes’ Amateur Hour” in NYC.  He retired from the NCPD in 1972 and moved to Springville, Tennessee, hoping to start a tree farm called “Land’s End.”
Condolences to the family may be made on line at website ridgewayfuneralhome.com.  Friends may call on Wednesday, June 19th from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  A requiem Mass will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 20, 2013, at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 1210 E. Wood Street, Paris, Tennessee, 38242, and the burial will follow at Antioch Cemetery.

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