Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Donald Joe Baucom, affectionately known by all as simply Joe, of Winona Lake, went home to be with the Lord at 9:40 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, at the age of 77.
Joe was born on Oct. 11, 1945, in Winfield, Kan., to Maxine Mae Fishburn Baucom and Donald Warren Baucom. On June 5, 1971, in Gardena, Calif., he married the love of his life Pamela Joyce Abernethey. They were blessed with raising three daughters, shared the joy of becoming grandparents and celebrated many birthdays, holidays, weddings and everything in between during their 52 years of marriage together.
Joe was a 1963 graduate of Winfield High School in Winfield, Kan. In 1964, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force during Vietnam and served as a teletype operator in Anchorage, Alaska, until his honorable discharge in 1968. After serving in the military, he spent his entire life in the finance and banking industry. He served as the vice president of Miles Federal Credit Union in Elkhart.
He has spent the last 18 years in Kosciusko County, where he enjoyed the fellowship of his church family at Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church and was a past member of the Brenneman Memorial Missionary Church in Goshen. Joe loved to serve his Lord and was very involved in Christian ministry, supporting Rafiki Foundation in Africa and teaching adult Sunday school. He led his family as a living example and was a loving, kind husband, father and grandfather who will be forever missed.
He will be lovingly remembered by his wife, Pam Baucom, Winona Lake; three daughters: Jennifer (Dave) Bernal, Memphis, Tenn.; Jessica Baucom, Goshen; Janet (Merle) Neff, Goshen; and three grandchildren: Gabriel Poirier, Tylertown, Miss.; and Bethany and Kasey Neff, Goshen. He was preceded in death by his parents.
Joe’s life will be celebrated with a service at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 11 at Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church, 1200 Kings Highway, Winona Lake, and officiated by Pastor Kip Cone. A private graveside service will take place at a later date at Oakwood Cemetery, Warsaw. Arrangements were entrusted to Redpath-Fruth Funeral Home, 225 Argonne Road, Warsaw.
Memorial donations may be directed to Rafiki Foundation, P.O. Box 1988, Eustis, FL 32727 or donate online at rafikifoundation.org
Online condolences may be sent through the funeral home’s website at www.redpathfruthfuneralhome.com.
