Ralph D. Baird

Duane Baird, 85, from Pendleton, Oregon passed away December 30th at St Anthony’s hospital. A memorial service will occur at the Pendleton Assembly of God church on Saturday, February 27th, at 2 PM. Duane was born on December 10, 1935 to Ralph and Catherine Baird in his parents’ house on the farm just south of Staples, Minnesota. Duane was the youngest of 7 children, with brothers Howard and Claude, and sisters Fern Bain, Jackie Davis, Phyllis Nelson, and Doris Thomas. 22 years spanned between oldest sister Fern and Duane. All of Duane’s siblings have passed. Brother Howard Baird was killed in action at Okinawa in 1945 just before WWII ended. Duane lived on two different farms growing up in Minnesota and he lived with his older sister Phyllis and her husband Don Nelson during summers in Wisconsin. Duane’s early childhood home did not have running water or electricity. He attended school in a one room schoolhouse in Philbrook, Minnesota. When Duane was 11, his mom put him on a train, and he travelled alone from Minnesota to Pendleton to stay with his dad, who was working at Harris Pine Mills. Most of the family ended up in or around Pendleton, and Duane lived in Pendleton since that trip, in 1947. In 1958, Duane was drafted into the US Army. Basic training occurred at Fort Riley Kansas, with his tour of duty in Germany just prior to formation of the Berlin wall. Duane was on a rifle team while in the Army. He spent most of his tour shooting M1 rifles, wearing out two rifles during his 18 months in Germany. He was honorably discharged in 1960. Duane joined the Oregon National Guard in 1962 and served with the 3rd Battalion, 116th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Pendleton until 1981. Duane was proud to have had the opportunity to serve his country in the military. Duane married Marilyn Routh in 1961. They raised three children: Jenell Sanner (husband Dean) of North Las Vegas, Brad Baird (wife Susan) of Cove, Oregon, and Brian Baird (wife Jami) of Pendleton, Oregon. Duane has five grandchildren, three great grandchildren and one grandpuppy (Carl). Family was important to Duane. He spent considerable time with all his children and grandchildren. He also had three great grandchildren, Grayson, Genesis, and Lenora. Duane worked as a letter carrier for over 30 years, eventually retiring when he was 58 after the death of Marilyn from cancer. Duane also helped to build two churches on missions trips, one in Honduras and one in Bolivia. Duane had many hobbies, spending considerable time restoring older jeeps and trucks and restoring antique furniture. He had a lot of talent with rebuilding motors, and he was an excellent mechanic. He was in the process of rebuilding an engine for his 1951 CJ3A jeep at the time of this passing. Duane also enjoyed antique tractors, spending time harrowing pastures with his tractors in Cove. He also really enjoyed driving around Eastern Oregon in his restored 1962 Chevy pickup. Duane enjoyed travelling and would take regular trips back east to see relatives in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Kansas and would travel to Las Vegas to see Jenell and her family. He enjoyed exploring new places, the more off the beaten path the better. He also spent many days exploring in the mountains in jeeps, motorbikes, and four wheelers, many times where no roads were present. Duane was in the mountains exploring some new country (with no road) just a few months before he died. Duane is survived by his daughter Jenell (Dean) of North Las Vegas, son Brad (Susan) of Cove, Oregon, son Brian (Jami) of Pendleton, Oregon, grandkids Lindsey (Elijah) Chamberlin and Kelsey (Jazz) Spivey of Las Vegas, and Dalton, Lacey, and Rachel Baird of Cove, Oregon. For those who would like to make a memorial donation, the family suggests a donation in Duane’s name to the Pendleton Assembly of God Church, 1911 SE Court Avenue, Pendleton, Oregon 97801.