Charles “Fred” Baird

Charles Fredrick “Fred” Baird II, 72, of Newton died Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020, at Mercy One Des Moines Medical Center. A memorial service will be held 3 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020, at Wallace Family Funeral Home and Crematory, 1115 E. 19th St. N., Newton, followed by a visitation until 6 p.m. Memorials directed to Meals on Wheels may be left at the funeral home.

The son of Charles and Mary (Hannan) Baird, Fred was born April 26, 1947, in Creston. He attended Catholic School in Creston until the eighth grade and then graduated from Creston High School in 1966. Fred lived in Detroit for a few years after high school before returning to Newton, working at the Maytag Company for the next 30 years. Fred was a proud 37-year member of AA and sponsored many people throughout the years. He loved cheering on the Iowa Hawkeyes, Kansas City Chiefs, and Newton Cardinals. Fred supported his children and grandchildren in all of their activities and had a knack for picking out just the right Christmas and birthday cards for each of them. He also had a great sense of humor and enjoyed watching old funny movies.

Fred is survived by his children: Chuck Baird (Brenda Havick) of Altoona, Aaron (Carrie) Baird of Monroe and Kacey (Joe) Strovers of Pleasant Hill; grandchildren: Colten and Jordyn Baird, Lilli and Delaney Baird, Kaitlynn and Alli Parsons, Sariah (Charlie) Comfort, Payton and Carter Strovers; his siblings: Kathy Jones of Canton, Michigan, Bill Baird of Angier, North Carolina and Tom (Brenda) Baird of Creston; and his several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother Steven Baird.