Jonathan Roger Eric Baldwin, 64, formerly of Plattsburgh, died peacefully at home in Branchport, N.Y., on Nov. 6, 2010, surrounded by his family, after a brief and courageous battle with cancer.
Jon was born in Memphis, Tenn., on May 5, 1946, to Betty Jean (Taylor) Baldwin; a homemaker and librarian and the late Lt. Col. Donald C. Baldwin, a U.S. Air Force pilot.
The military family moved frequently and Jon attended schools in Illinois, Texas and England before graduating from Plattsburgh High School in 1964.
He received a degree in music education from the Crane School of Music, State University of New York at Potsdam, and also spent two years at North Texas State University in Denton, Texas. For 32 years, he was the Band Director of Penn Yan Elementary School, in the Finger Lakes region. Jon nurtured a love of music in two generations of students, many of whom won awards and went on to careers in music. He was also a mentor to many other teachers in the Penn Yan Central School District.
After Jon retired from teaching in 2002, he became active in the Penn Yan Elks Lodge 1722, serving as a Trustee and as a volunteer in the kitchen, where he manned the grill on many Friday nights. Jon was also an aviation buff and expert on military aviation and found the perfect post-retirement job where he could live his passion.
After serving as a volunteer docent at the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, N.Y., he was hired as the museum's Director of Education, a position he held for five years until his death. Throughout his illness, he continued to arrange tours and programs, and was a fixture at the museum until just days before he died.
Jon pursued many varied interests throughout his life. As a teenager he received a ham radio operator's license and enjoyed the hobby for decades. Jon loved operating miniature train sets, flying model airplanes and building models of all types. He spent the last two years constructing a detailed model of the Titanic, which is now on display in the Curtiss Museum.
Jon took up running in his 40s and over the next 15 years completed an astonishing 24 marathons, including five Marine Corps Marathons in Washington, DC, and the New York City Marathon. He was an accomplished trombone player and played in several ensembles, including the Penn Yan Community Band and the Greater Finger Lakes Jazz Orchestra, performing at concerts, weddings and in the pit orchestra for musical productions. He enjoyed golfing and was a member of Penn Yan's Lakeside Country Club for many years.
Jon especially loved The Barracks golf course on the old Plattsburgh Air Force Base, telling friends with pride that he was there on its opening day in 1962. He was an avid reader and loved watching movies and documentaries. With his wife Claudia, he enjoyed many trips to Las Vegas, visits to relatives in Illinois, Oklahoma and Washington, DC., and reunions with good friends in Plattsburgh.
Jon is survived by his wife of 41 years, Claudia (Wood); his daughter Vanessa and her fiancé, Don Rumsey; grandchildren, Aubrey, Dylan, Dakota, Gretchen and Taylor, all of Branchport, N.Y. Also surviving are his mother, Betty J. Baldwin of Chevy Chase, Md.; his brother, Kim Baldwin and his wife, Holly of Plattsburgh, N.Y.; and sisters, Leslie Baldwin and her husband, Kenneth Eng of Cabin John, Md., and Heidi Hassinger, also of Plattsburgh, N.Y., as well as several nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Jon's life and reception were held in Penn Yan, N.Y., on Nov. 9, attended by hundreds of Jon's friends and family members. Charitable donations in Jon's memory may be made to the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum, Attn:
Donation, 8419 State Route 54, Hammondsport, NY 14840; the Modeste Bedient Memorial Library, 3699 Route 54A, Branchport, NY 14418; or to the Finger Lakes Visiting Nurse Service, Attn: Director of Development, 756 Pre-Emption Road, Geneva, NY 14456.
Online tributes to Jon may be left at http://www.legacy.com (Jon R.E. Baldwin).
Jon was born in Memphis, Tenn., on May 5, 1946, to Betty Jean (Taylor) Baldwin; a homemaker and librarian and the late Lt. Col. Donald C. Baldwin, a U.S. Air Force pilot.
The military family moved frequently and Jon attended schools in Illinois, Texas and England before graduating from Plattsburgh High School in 1964.
He received a degree in music education from the Crane School of Music, State University of New York at Potsdam, and also spent two years at North Texas State University in Denton, Texas. For 32 years, he was the Band Director of Penn Yan Elementary School, in the Finger Lakes region. Jon nurtured a love of music in two generations of students, many of whom won awards and went on to careers in music. He was also a mentor to many other teachers in the Penn Yan Central School District.
After Jon retired from teaching in 2002, he became active in the Penn Yan Elks Lodge 1722, serving as a Trustee and as a volunteer in the kitchen, where he manned the grill on many Friday nights. Jon was also an aviation buff and expert on military aviation and found the perfect post-retirement job where he could live his passion.
After serving as a volunteer docent at the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, N.Y., he was hired as the museum's Director of Education, a position he held for five years until his death. Throughout his illness, he continued to arrange tours and programs, and was a fixture at the museum until just days before he died.
Jon pursued many varied interests throughout his life. As a teenager he received a ham radio operator's license and enjoyed the hobby for decades. Jon loved operating miniature train sets, flying model airplanes and building models of all types. He spent the last two years constructing a detailed model of the Titanic, which is now on display in the Curtiss Museum.
Jon took up running in his 40s and over the next 15 years completed an astonishing 24 marathons, including five Marine Corps Marathons in Washington, DC, and the New York City Marathon. He was an accomplished trombone player and played in several ensembles, including the Penn Yan Community Band and the Greater Finger Lakes Jazz Orchestra, performing at concerts, weddings and in the pit orchestra for musical productions. He enjoyed golfing and was a member of Penn Yan's Lakeside Country Club for many years.
Jon especially loved The Barracks golf course on the old Plattsburgh Air Force Base, telling friends with pride that he was there on its opening day in 1962. He was an avid reader and loved watching movies and documentaries. With his wife Claudia, he enjoyed many trips to Las Vegas, visits to relatives in Illinois, Oklahoma and Washington, DC., and reunions with good friends in Plattsburgh.
Jon is survived by his wife of 41 years, Claudia (Wood); his daughter Vanessa and her fiancé, Don Rumsey; grandchildren, Aubrey, Dylan, Dakota, Gretchen and Taylor, all of Branchport, N.Y. Also surviving are his mother, Betty J. Baldwin of Chevy Chase, Md.; his brother, Kim Baldwin and his wife, Holly of Plattsburgh, N.Y.; and sisters, Leslie Baldwin and her husband, Kenneth Eng of Cabin John, Md., and Heidi Hassinger, also of Plattsburgh, N.Y., as well as several nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Jon's life and reception were held in Penn Yan, N.Y., on Nov. 9, attended by hundreds of Jon's friends and family members. Charitable donations in Jon's memory may be made to the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum, Attn:
Donation, 8419 State Route 54, Hammondsport, NY 14840; the Modeste Bedient Memorial Library, 3699 Route 54A, Branchport, NY 14418; or to the Finger Lakes Visiting Nurse Service, Attn: Director of Development, 756 Pre-Emption Road, Geneva, NY 14456.
Online tributes to Jon may be left at http://www.legacy.com (Jon R.E. Baldwin).
Jonathan Roger Eric Baldwin, 64, formerly of Plattsburgh, died peacefully at home in Branchport, N.Y., on Nov. 6, 2010, surrounded by his family, after a brief and courageous battle with cancer.
Jon was born in Memphis, Tenn., on May 5, 1946, to Betty Jean (Taylor) Baldwin; a homemaker and librarian and the late Lt. Col. Donald C. Baldwin, a U.S. Air Force pilot.
The military family moved frequently and Jon attended schools in Illinois, Texas and England before graduating from Plattsburgh High School in 1964.
He received a degree in music education from the Crane School of Music, State University of New York at Potsdam, and also spent two years at North Texas State University in Denton, Texas. For 32 years, he was the Band Director of Penn Yan Elementary School, in the Finger Lakes region. Jon nurtured a love of music in two generations of students, many of whom won awards and went on to careers in music. He was also a mentor to many other teachers in the Penn Yan Central School District.
After Jon retired from teaching in 2002, he became active in the Penn Yan Elks Lodge 1722, serving as a Trustee and as a volunteer in the kitchen, where he manned the grill on many Friday nights. Jon was also an aviation buff and expert on military aviation and found the perfect post-retirement job where he could live his passion.
After serving as a volunteer docent at the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, N.Y., he was hired as the museum's Director of Education, a position he held for five years until his death. Throughout his illness, he continued to arrange tours and programs, and was a fixture at the museum until just days before he died.
Jon pursued many varied interests throughout his life. As a teenager he received a ham radio operator's license and enjoyed the hobby for decades. Jon loved operating miniature train sets, flying model airplanes and building models of all types. He spent the last two years constructing a detailed model of the Titanic, which is now on display in the Curtiss Museum.
Jon took up running in his 40s and over the next 15 years completed an astonishing 24 marathons, including five Marine Corps Marathons in Washington, DC, and the New York City Marathon. He was an accomplished trombone player and played in several ensembles, including the Penn Yan Community Band and the Greater Finger Lakes Jazz Orchestra, performing at concerts, weddings and in the pit orchestra for musical productions. He enjoyed golfing and was a member of Penn Yan's Lakeside Country Club for many years.
Jon especially loved The Barracks golf course on the old Plattsburgh Air Force Base, telling friends with pride that he was there on its opening day in 1962. He was an avid reader and loved watching movies and documentaries. With his wife Claudia, he enjoyed many trips to Las Vegas, visits to relatives in Illinois, Oklahoma and Washington, DC., and reunions with good friends in Plattsburgh.
Jon is survived by his wife of 41 years, Claudia (Wood); his daughter Vanessa and her fiancé, Don Rumsey; grandchildren, Aubrey, Dylan, Dakota, Gretchen and Taylor, all of Branchport, N.Y. Also surviving are his mother, Betty J. Baldwin of Chevy Chase, Md.; his brother, Kim Baldwin and his wife, Holly of Plattsburgh, N.Y.; and sisters, Leslie Baldwin and her husband, Kenneth Eng of Cabin John, Md., and Heidi Hassinger, also of Plattsburgh, N.Y., as well as several nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Jon's life and reception were held in Penn Yan, N.Y., on Nov. 9, attended by hundreds of Jon's friends and family members. Charitable donations in Jon's memory may be made to the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum, Attn:
Donation, 8419 State Route 54, Hammondsport, NY 14840; the Modeste Bedient Memorial Library, 3699 Route 54A, Branchport, NY 14418; or to the Finger Lakes Visiting Nurse Service, Attn: Director of Development, 756 Pre-Emption Road, Geneva, NY 14456.
Online tributes to Jon may be left at http://www.legacy.com (Jon R.E. Baldwin).
Jon was born in Memphis, Tenn., on May 5, 1946, to Betty Jean (Taylor) Baldwin; a homemaker and librarian and the late Lt. Col. Donald C. Baldwin, a U.S. Air Force pilot.
The military family moved frequently and Jon attended schools in Illinois, Texas and England before graduating from Plattsburgh High School in 1964.
He received a degree in music education from the Crane School of Music, State University of New York at Potsdam, and also spent two years at North Texas State University in Denton, Texas. For 32 years, he was the Band Director of Penn Yan Elementary School, in the Finger Lakes region. Jon nurtured a love of music in two generations of students, many of whom won awards and went on to careers in music. He was also a mentor to many other teachers in the Penn Yan Central School District.
After Jon retired from teaching in 2002, he became active in the Penn Yan Elks Lodge 1722, serving as a Trustee and as a volunteer in the kitchen, where he manned the grill on many Friday nights. Jon was also an aviation buff and expert on military aviation and found the perfect post-retirement job where he could live his passion.
After serving as a volunteer docent at the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, N.Y., he was hired as the museum's Director of Education, a position he held for five years until his death. Throughout his illness, he continued to arrange tours and programs, and was a fixture at the museum until just days before he died.
Jon pursued many varied interests throughout his life. As a teenager he received a ham radio operator's license and enjoyed the hobby for decades. Jon loved operating miniature train sets, flying model airplanes and building models of all types. He spent the last two years constructing a detailed model of the Titanic, which is now on display in the Curtiss Museum.
Jon took up running in his 40s and over the next 15 years completed an astonishing 24 marathons, including five Marine Corps Marathons in Washington, DC, and the New York City Marathon. He was an accomplished trombone player and played in several ensembles, including the Penn Yan Community Band and the Greater Finger Lakes Jazz Orchestra, performing at concerts, weddings and in the pit orchestra for musical productions. He enjoyed golfing and was a member of Penn Yan's Lakeside Country Club for many years.
Jon especially loved The Barracks golf course on the old Plattsburgh Air Force Base, telling friends with pride that he was there on its opening day in 1962. He was an avid reader and loved watching movies and documentaries. With his wife Claudia, he enjoyed many trips to Las Vegas, visits to relatives in Illinois, Oklahoma and Washington, DC., and reunions with good friends in Plattsburgh.
Jon is survived by his wife of 41 years, Claudia (Wood); his daughter Vanessa and her fiancé, Don Rumsey; grandchildren, Aubrey, Dylan, Dakota, Gretchen and Taylor, all of Branchport, N.Y. Also surviving are his mother, Betty J. Baldwin of Chevy Chase, Md.; his brother, Kim Baldwin and his wife, Holly of Plattsburgh, N.Y.; and sisters, Leslie Baldwin and her husband, Kenneth Eng of Cabin John, Md., and Heidi Hassinger, also of Plattsburgh, N.Y., as well as several nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Jon's life and reception were held in Penn Yan, N.Y., on Nov. 9, attended by hundreds of Jon's friends and family members. Charitable donations in Jon's memory may be made to the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum, Attn:
Donation, 8419 State Route 54, Hammondsport, NY 14840; the Modeste Bedient Memorial Library, 3699 Route 54A, Branchport, NY 14418; or to the Finger Lakes Visiting Nurse Service, Attn: Director of Development, 756 Pre-Emption Road, Geneva, NY 14456.
Online tributes to Jon may be left at http://www.legacy.com (Jon R.E. Baldwin).
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