James E. Baldwin, Jr. (Lebanon)'s Obituary
James Ernest Baldwin, Jr., son of James E. Baldwin, Sr. and Bette J. Rouse Baldwin, was born March 21, 1959, in Columbia, Missouri. He departed this life Thursday, June 27, 2017, near Springfield, Missouri, at the age of fifty-eight years, three months, and six days.
J.E. is survived by his parents, James E. “Jim” and Bette Baldwin, of Lebanon, Missouri; a sister, Rebecca Engsberg, and her husband, Mark, of Atlanta, Georgia; a nephew, Caleb Engsberg; a niece, Elizabeth Engsberg; an aunt, Karen Ridge, of Columbia, Missouri; two uncles, Charles H. Baldwin, Jr., of Port Ludlow, Washington, and Mac Rouse, of Columbia, Missouri; several cousins; as well as a host of other relatives and many friends.
He was born and raised in Columbia, Missouri, and then moved with his family to Lebanon in 1966, when his father joined the Donnelly, Baldwin, Wilhite Law Firm. J.E. attended Lebanon High School where he was very involved in the band program and was awarded the John Phillip Sousa Award his senior year. He graduated with honors in the Class of 1976. He then graduated from the University of Missouri in Columbia and the University of Virginia Law School in Charlottesville, Virginia with a law degree. He practiced law in Lebanon for a time and then graduated from the Kansas State School of Architecture. He made his home in Springfield, Missouri for the last twenty-six years, and worked as an architect/draftsman.
J.E. was raised in the First United Methodist Church in Lebanon.
He was an accomplished musician playing all of the woodwind instruments including the saxophone, clarinet, oboe and flute. He enjoyed making gingerbread boys with his mother each year at Christmas time and was extremely good at remembering family and friends with cards on special occasions. He had a quiet personality and enjoyed his privacy. He enjoyed reading the newspaper cartoons and they always made him laugh. He loved his family dearly and was blessed to have his grandparents in his life for many years.
J.E. was a loving son, brother, uncle, nephew, and was a kind and caring friend. We celebrate his life and his accomplishments and know that he will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by all those who knew and loved him.
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