Henry “Hank” Baldschun, Jr.

Henry "Hank" Baldschun, Jr. age 90, of Mission, Kansas, passed away June 17, 2010.

He began his career by working as a 16-year-old usher at the Midland Theater. He then became a warehouse worker at Royal Crown Cola followed by a stint as a bartender at his uncle's bar on 18th Street in Kansas City, Kansas. In 1941, he married Marian Werner after meeting her at a party four years earlier.

A proud member of the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, Hank served at a base in Canada and Marian joined him there in 1942. After receiving an honorable discharge from the service as the war ended, Hank began working at the General Motor auto assembly plant in Fairfax. In the 1950s he joined his brother-in-law in a service station business, and the pair operated stations in two different locations in Kansas City, Kansas, until he got a job as an appliance service technician with General Electric in 1963. His gregarious personality made him well-suited for his job meeting new customers every day. He retired from General Electric in 1983.

Hank was very active during his retirement. A devoted and caring husband, he spent considerable time with Marian, his wife of 68 years. Although Marian and Hank had no children of their own, he was a beloved "uncle" to nieces and nephews, cousins and children of friends. As his relatives and friends died, their children began to look to him as a father. He loved children, often volunteering at a school for special-needs children, and he particularly loved playing Santa every year at the school. A master storyteller who had a quick grin and an infectious laugh, Hank for the past few years was a morning regular at the Mission HyVee café, and enjoyed the company of his many friends there. Hank loved to play pool, and the vintage billiards table in his basement was a gathering place for generations of pool enthusiasts to hone their game and swap stories.

Hank was preceded in death by his father and mother and by his brother, Clyde Baldschun. He is survived by his wife Marian of the home; his sister-in-law Pauline Thorpe of Mission,;his niece Charlene Sims of Parker, Kansas; and nephews Randy Baldschun of Portland, Oregon and David Baldschun of Sun Valley, California. He is also survived by Eddie and Cheryl Turner of Mission, with whom he developed a particularly close relationship over the past few years.

Visitation and Funeral Service

A visitation will be held Monday, June 21, 2010, from 10 to 11 am followed by the funeral service at at 11 am at the Amos Family Chapel of Shawnee. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery, Kansas City, Kansas.