David Warren Baisinger

David Warren Baisinger, age 79, living in Lincoln, died on September 10, 2024. 

A memorial service will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 14, 2024, at the Aldersgate United Methodist Church, 8320 South Street, Lincoln, Nebraska, with the Reverend Joseph Rafique presiding. The service will be livestreamed for those who cannot attend. See https://aldersgatelinc.org/.  A graveside service will be held at the Elwood Cemetery in Elwood, Nebraska at a date to be announced later. 

David was born on January 28, 1945, in Lexington, Nebraska to Doris (Leggott) Baisinger and George Baisinger. He was the second of three children, along with sisters Virginia and Mary.

He spent his early years on his family’s farm in Gosper County, Nebraska, where he attended a one-room school and spent many happy days outside on the farm with his sisters, cousins, and friends. After a short time in Eustis, his family moved to Lebanon, Nebraska, where David enjoyed playing eight-man football. He graduated from Kenesaw High School, where he was an all-conference member of the football team, and a member of the basketball team, the band, and the choir. In Kenesaw, he also met Karen Schneider, his future wife of 55 years, who passed away in 2022. 

As a child, David and his family loved traveling near and far. Over the years they traversed the country, driving to the Bay of Fundy, Los Angeles, and everywhere in between. The family trips were always an adventure, whether involving roadside camping or stopping to pick peaches in Colorado. One of David’s great childhood accomplishments was enduring a 3,000 mile drive with his two sisters in the back of a small car. David seemed to have nothing but happy memories of this time.

David graduated from Nebraska Wesleyan University in 1967 with a degree in history. There, he joined the Theta Chi fraternity, where he made friends that he kept for more than five decades and was a one-year letterman in football. He was also a member of the Wesleyan choir and sang at the World’s Fair in New York. He later obtained his master’s degree in educational administration from Kearney State University. He worked for more than four decades as a teacher and administrator, primarily in the Nebraska and Kansas public school systems. David spent the longest periods of time as a principal in Wauneta, Nebraska (1976-1983) and then in Hays, Kansas (1983-2000). He was a respected educator and received many awards, including Kansas Principal of the Year. David and Karen, who was a high-school librarian and avid quilter, returned to Kenesaw, Nebraska in 2006, where he served as principal at the Hastings Regional Center for several years after his “retirement.” They lived in Kenesaw until the summer of 2021 when they moved to Lincoln. 

David was a man of wide-ranging interests and endless energy He loved University of Nebraska football, skiing, backpacking in the Colorado Rockies, growing flowers, reading, and Civil War history. Shortly before retirement, David took up woodworking and became an accomplished craftsman. In keeping with his childhood adventures, David traveled incessantly, and he visited all fifty states. In the last few years he drove to visit cousins in Oregon, visited Paris and the beaches of Normandy with his daughters, attended the US Open and other tennis tournaments, and took the trip of a lifetime to Egypt this spring with long-time friends. No matter where he traveled, though, he viewed Nebraska as home. 

David treasured his friends, both old and new. In Lincoln, he spent time ties with his fraternity brothers, attended events at the Lied Center, baseball games, volley games, and church activities. More recently, he spent many happy times with Carol Clymer, and they also supported many church activities and filled out their Nebraska Passport book together. 

David was devoted to his wife and children. He and Karen spent more than five decades together, and they shared a love of tennis, travel, and reading. He was a loving father who was actively involved throughout his daughters’ lives and enjoyed spending time with his family. He drove across the country countless times to help Jill and Kendra move to various locales, and made half the furniture in their houses. He took multiple road trips with his grandson Ben and went hiking with his granddaughter Clara in Rocky Mountain Park. David traveled to the East Coast many times each year to visit his daughters, and he remained close with cousins near and far. 

He is survived by his daughter, Kendra Baisinger (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and her partner Laurent Mondon; daughter Jill Baisinger and her husband Keith Rosen, and grandchildren Benjamin and Clara Baisinger-Rosen (Bethesda, Maryland); his sisters Ginger Leopold (Windermere, Florida) and Mary Aderholt (West Chester, Ohio); and many cousins, in-laws, and other relatives. He will be deeply missed by his family and his friends. 

Those who wish to honor David’s memory are encouraged to provide a memorial gift to the Aldersgate Methodist Church, the National Park Foundation, or the Wild Animal Sanctuary (the wildanimalsanctuary.org).