Helen Baer

Baer, Helen Baumgartner MOUNT HOREB/ MADISON Helen Baumgartner Baer died of the effects of Alzheimers disease on Saturday, April 12, 2008. The daughter of Josef and Julianna (nee Stiegmaier) Baumgartner, she was born in St. Georgen ob Judenburg, Styria, Austria, on Aug. 4, 1918, in the waning months of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. She was born in a mountain chalet on her familys estate, which included dairy farming, cheese making, large timber tracts and hunting ranges. Her grandfathers sawmills supplied the emperor with railway ties for the rail line from Vienna to Venice. Her childhood memories were of idyllic mountain meadows and forests, which led to her passion for gardening which continued until recent years. After boarding school in Graz, Austria and further education in Knittelfeld, she worked in the family business and then for various agricultural agencies in Austria, Germany, Slovenia, and Switzerland. In 1949 she emigrated to Darlington. She was very happily married to Walter Baer, originally of Horgen, Switzerland, who died in 1995. Having endured much of the worst which life offered in mid-20th century Europe, (revolution, the great inflation, fascism, the Nazi regime, and World War II) she deeply appreciated the peace, security and quietness of life in Wisconsin, and was devoted to her new country. She was a great observer of politics and culture, and a companion and confidant to a diverse circle of friends. An avid traveler and devoted to family, she returned many times to Austria and Switzerland for both short and extended visits. She was a resident of Madison from 1958 until 1997, when she moved to Inglehaven in Mount Horeb, as she began to suffer the effects of Alzheimers disease. She is survived by two sons, the Rev. Walter Jacob Baer of New Orleans, La., and Gerald Joseph Baer (Debra) of Monona; four grandchildren, Kate, Eric, Joey and Emily Baer; and by a sister, Margarethe Baumgartner Etzelt of Austria. Funeral services will be held at GUNDERSON EAST FUNERAL HOME, 5203 Monona Drive, Madison, on Saturday, April 19, 2008, at 10:30 a.m. with the Rev. Susanne Burwell officiating. Visitation will be held on Saturday from 9 a.m. until the time of the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Katrina Rebuilding Fund at Grace Episcopal Church, 3700 Canal St., New Orleans, LA 70119; or to a charity of the donors choice. The family would like to thank all of the staff at Ingle Living Communities in Mount Horeb for their care and compassion while taking care of Helen for so many years. Gunderson East Funeral and Cremation Centers 5203 Monona Drive (608) 221-5420 www.gundersonfh.com