Josef Semeon Baier

Josef S. Baier, 77, passed away at his home on September 29, 2019 after a bout with cancer. A loving husband, father, uncle, grandfather, great grandfather and friend, Joe was born in NYC, NY on April 27, 1942. He graduated from Hancock Central School and attended SUNY Binghamton. He served in the USAF as a Heavy Ground Radar Technician with the 655th Radar Squadron in Watertown, NY. Joe was a Manufacturing Engineer who worked for numerous Fortune 500 companies in the Northeast.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Josef and Helen (Papusha) Baier, and his brothers Robert, William, and James.

Joe is survived by his beloved wife, Lucy (Soares) Baier, of 57 years. His daughter, Laura Colon and husband Elvin of Philadelphia, PA. Grandson, John Fekete of Philadelphia. Granddaughter, Genesis Junior, her husband Matt and great granddaughter Gracie Jane of Irvine, CA. Granddaughter, Kaitlyn Brown and wife Kristy of Ambler, PA. Daughter, Charyl Baier and grandson Dayne of Dana Point, CA. Daughter, Dawn Gluck and husband Jason of Gastonia, NC. Grandsons, Alexander and Joshua of Gastonia. Son, Josef and significant other, Maggie Rie of Winchester, CA. A cousin (who was like a sister) Sandra Caswell of Deltona, FL. Several brother and sister-in-laws, cousins, nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews and numerous friends!

As seen through the eyes of a dear friend Grace Silvermen:

I met Joe and Lucy Baier well before I saw them in person. I had the privilege of working with their daughter, Chari (who would immediately become my best friend) over 30 years ago.
Chari’s cosmopolitan beauty and cutting edge fashion sense could not over shadow the heart of gold, kindness, warmth, compassion and incredible creativity that she and her siblings, Lori, Dawn and Joe-B inherited from their Mom and Dad, Joe and Lucy.

Raising their family in Binghamton, NY, Joe and Lucy lived that great sense of a rural community, showing warmth and kindness to any and all who encountered them; the essence of “love thy neighbor as thyself”.

Joe embraced each of his grandchildren sharing with them lessons to be learned by his incredible example in the way he conducted his life.

Joe’s engineering mind coupled with incredible creativity allowed him to design and construct just about anything from a house to a rocking horse to a beautiful piece of furniture, all you had to do was ask, he needed no blueprint, no instructions just his mind-blowing talent. Joe had the ability to make you feel like the most important person in the world whenever you saw him, his down to earth demeanor, casual style, sense of humor and genuine persona always made you look forward to seeing him and catching up.

So well-traveled that he set his sights on visiting every state in the US and years ago accomplished that tremendous feat. Joe thought nothing of jumping in the car or on a plane to visit his family across the nation, (another trait passed on to his children) to spend time with what he cherished most in life - family. A trail of broken hearts follow you to heaven, Joe Baier, you have left an indelible mark on so many lives. May God Bless you as you have blessed others with your life.
And may God Bless, Lucy, your incredible and devoted wife.

A sentiment from his daughter Laura:

We should all remember Joe like this …

Smiling and raising a glass with this toast:

“Do not cry over my death, celebrate my life, it was a good one. Go have a drink for me, hug your family. Take the trip!”

Please keep my mom in your prayers, she has lost the love of her life much too soon.

There will be a celebration of Joe’s life on November ­­­­­­­­­­3, 2019, 2:00 P.M. at Belmont Foursquare Church, 8 Elizabeth Street, Belmont, NC 28012

We would like to thank the VA in Salisbury and Charlotte, and Hospice of Gastonia who helped Joe tremendously through this illness.