Gary Baumgartner was born July 22, 1939 to Rolla and Marie Baumgartner in Litchfield, Illinois, and peacefully passed from this life on November 5, 2023 in his home in Springfield, Missouri. He had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in April.

Gary was valedictorian of Worden High School and graduated with a civil engineering degree from the University of Missouri-Rolla where he was a member of Triangle Fraternity. He earned an MBA from Drury University. He served in the United States Army and was stationed in Korea. After starting his professional career with Southwestern Bell, he founded a successful general contracting business based in Springfield. In retirement, he and other partners opened a local climate controlled storage business. He was active in his community, serving as a Sunday school teacher, elder, and business manager at First and Calvary Presbyterian Church, and on the board of the Humane Society of Southwest Missouri.

He enjoyed traveling throughout the United States and Europe with his wife, Jan, and spending time with friends, family, and his black lab, Benjamin. Gary lived an active life that included working out at St. John’s fitness center, fly fishing on steams across the country, racing sail boats on Stockton Lake, and riding his bike on trails in the Ozarks. He was always interested in learning new things about the world and the people around him. This interest in other people made him a natural mentor and immense positive influence on so many others he encountered in both professional and personal settings.

Gary is preceded in death by his parents and his sister, June French. He is survived by Jan Baumgartner, his wife of thirty-five years; daughter Holly Parker and her two sons Cole and Sam; son Kit Baumgartner and his wife, Yvette, and his three sons, Chris, Jared, and Trevor; sister-in-law Cathy Van Landuyt and her husband Randy; and nephew Ben Van Landuyt and his wife Shannon.

A service honoring Gary will be held at First and Calvary Presbyterian Church on Friday, November 10th at 11:00 a.m. Memorial contributions may be made to the First and Calvary Presbyterian Church Foundation, the Jan M. and Gary Baumgartner Scholarship Fund at Drury University, or the Cox Health Foundation.