COLUMBUS
On Thursday, May 6, 2021, Warren passed away surrounded by his family at Four Seasons Retirement Center in Columbus, Indiana. Born in 1922, Warren had just turned 99 years old and died of natural causes.
Warren’s mother immigrated to the US from Germany as a teenager and met his father here. Warren was born in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in suburban Park Ridge, Illinois, where he graduated from Maine Township High School, Class of 1940. He met his wife of 73 years, Janice Coleita Miller, in the youth group at St. Andrews Lutheran Church in Park Ridge.
Warren was in the U.S. Army from 1943 through 1945. During WWII he participated in the invasion of southern France as part of the Military Government unit of the U.S. 6th Army Division where he was an administrative clerk and German interpreter attaining the rank of Staff Sargent. He was awarded the Bronze Medal and four Battle Stars. Following his Honorable Discharge from the Army, Warren went on to graduate from Valparaiso University in Indiana (Class of 1949) where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.
In 1964, Warren settled his family in Columbus, Indiana, where he was employed by Arvin Industries Inc. as a credit and insurance manager until his retirement in 1988. He and his family were active members of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church where he was an Elder, sat on many boards, and enjoyed singing in the choir and men’s chorus.
Warren loved fishing, and was a big Chicago White Sox fan since childhood. He was also an avid home brewer of beer, and loved square dancing and taking Road Scholar trips with his wife. Besides being a loving dad, his children remember him most for his ability to strike up conversations with strangers, and for loving to play card games like euchre, pinochle, and going to poker night with his buddies. His passion for fishing took him on innumerable fishing trips from Grandview Lake to Yellowwood Lake, and from Canada to the Florida Keys with friends and family.
Warren is survived by his wife Janice, and their children Warren W. Baumgart Jr. (partner Thomas Neo), Colieta A. Browning Bloss, and Rex T. Baumgart (wife Kathy nee Hutsen), and one granddaughter, Haley A. Bloss. Preceding him in death were his twin brother, Wilbur K. Baumgart (wife Hilda), an older brother Gilbert K. Baumgart (wife Betty), and his parents August W. Baumgart and Rose Ruth Ortmueller (nee Helmreich).
Warren’s body has been bequeathed to Indiana University Department of Anatomy. There will be no funeral service. The family would like to thank Four Seasons Retirement Center and Our Hospice of South Central Indiana for all of their loving help and support during our father’s final days. Any memorials may be donated to the St. Peter’s Lutheran Church Foundation, Our Hospice of South Central Indiana, or the donor’s charity of choice.
