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August 11, 2012
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Tuesday, August 14, 2012 from 4-8 PM. Funeral Services will be held at the funeral home, 8 PM on Tuesday, immediately following the visiting hours.
Frank Baird, age 81 of Wayne, died on Saturday, August 11, 2012. He was a resident of Wayne since 1947.
Frank had grown up in Fairfield and moved to Wayne with this family in 1947. His parents had purchased a large home that included a farm. Their home had actually been a tea house along the Morris Canal, which had run right through their property many years earlier. With the development of Route 23 through Wayne, much of their family land was taken to widen the highway and their home was removed to make way for the Alps Road exit from Route 23 South. The home was historic but local efforts to preserve the house and relocate it proved unsuccessful and their home was razed. That was a sad occasion for Frank and his family. He continued living in his own home on what remained of his family farm and enjoyed having horses, chickens, and breeding dogs. Throughout the years, Frank bred countless dogs, in excess of a few hundred. Most of the dogs were hunting breeds and Frank enjoyed training them to do just that. He enjoyed bird hunting himself and enjoyed watching the dogs work their skills. His favorite pastime was certainly softball. He played for many years and formed his own team; the “Baird Bandits”. He was an excellent pitcher and served as league commissioner for a few years.
Frank had been a Wayne police officer for during the 1960’s before becoming a design engineer. He was very mechanically inclined and a great problem solver. He was the kind of guy that always had a project that he was working on. His son Dan recalls that anytime you saw Frank with a piece of paper, lines and dimensions drawn all over it, you were in for another project. Some of his most memorable designs were created for M&M Mars Company and their candy making process, at Sony Corporation, and many other manufacturing businesses in the area. His mind was always active and his creative skill never withered. He was never one to pass on an opportunity either, and he owned a used car sales lot on Hamburg Turnpike in Wayne for many years.
Frank is survived by his loving wife Pat, his daughter Sue Adam and her husband Vic of Long Valley, and one son; Dan Baird and his wife Kim of West Milford, three grandchildren; Austin Baird of West Milford, Justin Adam and his wife Emily of Long Valley, NJ, and Michael Adam and his wife Heather of Hackettstown, NJ, two great-grandchildren; Matthew Adam of Hackettstown and Brooke Adam of Long Valley. Frank is also survived by his dear friend and former wife, Barbara Baird of Long Valley.
Frank always had a great love for animals and memorial donations in his honor would be appreciated. Please consider the Friends of Wayne Animals, "FOWA", PO Box 3701, Wayne, NJ 07470.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Tuesday, August 14, 2012 from 4-8 PM. Funeral Services will be held at the funeral home, 8 PM on Tuesday, immediately following the visiting hours.
August 11, 2012
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Tuesday, August 14, 2012 from 4-8 PM. Funeral Services will be held at the funeral home, 8 PM on Tuesday, immediately following the visiting hours.
Frank Baird, age 81 of Wayne, died on Saturday, August 11, 2012. He was a resident of Wayne since 1947.
Frank had grown up in Fairfield and moved to Wayne with this family in 1947. His parents had purchased a large home that included a farm. Their home had actually been a tea house along the Morris Canal, which had run right through their property many years earlier. With the development of Route 23 through Wayne, much of their family land was taken to widen the highway and their home was removed to make way for the Alps Road exit from Route 23 South. The home was historic but local efforts to preserve the house and relocate it proved unsuccessful and their home was razed. That was a sad occasion for Frank and his family. He continued living in his own home on what remained of his family farm and enjoyed having horses, chickens, and breeding dogs. Throughout the years, Frank bred countless dogs, in excess of a few hundred. Most of the dogs were hunting breeds and Frank enjoyed training them to do just that. He enjoyed bird hunting himself and enjoyed watching the dogs work their skills. His favorite pastime was certainly softball. He played for many years and formed his own team; the “Baird Bandits”. He was an excellent pitcher and served as league commissioner for a few years.
Frank had been a Wayne police officer for during the 1960’s before becoming a design engineer. He was very mechanically inclined and a great problem solver. He was the kind of guy that always had a project that he was working on. His son Dan recalls that anytime you saw Frank with a piece of paper, lines and dimensions drawn all over it, you were in for another project. Some of his most memorable designs were created for M&M Mars Company and their candy making process, at Sony Corporation, and many other manufacturing businesses in the area. His mind was always active and his creative skill never withered. He was never one to pass on an opportunity either, and he owned a used car sales lot on Hamburg Turnpike in Wayne for many years.
Frank is survived by his loving wife Pat, his daughter Sue Adam and her husband Vic of Long Valley, and one son; Dan Baird and his wife Kim of West Milford, three grandchildren; Austin Baird of West Milford, Justin Adam and his wife Emily of Long Valley, NJ, and Michael Adam and his wife Heather of Hackettstown, NJ, two great-grandchildren; Matthew Adam of Hackettstown and Brooke Adam of Long Valley. Frank is also survived by his dear friend and former wife, Barbara Baird of Long Valley.
Frank always had a great love for animals and memorial donations in his honor would be appreciated. Please consider the Friends of Wayne Animals, "FOWA", PO Box 3701, Wayne, NJ 07470.
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