Jim passed away quietly at home on Friday, November 14, 2025, surrounded by his family. He had been in home hospice for 16 months. He amazingly survived 4 different types of cancer over the past 23 years, but his incredible sense of humor and his lively spirit kept him going. A private, green, burial ceremony will be held and he will be interred in St. Joseph Cemetery, Inc. in Appleton, WI. The Rev. Dr. Tricia Matthew will officiate this service, and her husband, Keith McGillivray, will provide the music.
He was born to the late Oscar Baumbach and Leida (née Freundt) Baumbach in Waukesha, WI. He graduated from Pewaukee High School and then attended Carroll University in Waukesha, WI, where he earned degrees in Chemistry and Mathematics. He graduated from Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI, with a PhD. in Inorganic Chemistry.
His first professional job was as a Research Chemist with Shell Oil Company in Houston, TX. His next position was with Nalco Chemical Company in Naperville, IL where he first served as a Research Chemist and later as a Group Leader, followed by work in International Sales. After 17 years with Nalco, he took a short-term position as an IT Specialist for Water Treatment Programs with Industrial Water Engineering in Albuquerque, NM. For the next 20 years he operated his own company, Water Technologies Worldwide/Baumbach Labs, Inc., where he validated water treatment equipment for the State of Wisconsin and others. During this time he also worked as a part-time Water Treatment Consultant for Water Right, Inc., Appleton, WI.
He held memberships in the American Chemical Society, the National Association of Corrosion Engineers, Sigma Xi, the Cooling Tower Institute, the American Physical Society, the Association of Water Technologies, the Water Quality Association, the American Institute of Chemists, and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.
He met his wife, Alice (née DesJardins), at Michigan State University and they were married in Warren, MI in 1962. In 1969 they joined the Order Ecumenical and the Institute of Cultural Affairs in Chicago, IL, whose mission was to teach religious and cultural courses across the country and build models of community reformulation that could be replicated around the world. Except for one year on the north side of Chicago, they lived on the west side in a ghetto community. While Jim worked at Nalco, Alice worked in-house with the preschool and the community center. One member of each family was assigned to work out so that the project could be funded. All of those who worked out donated their salaries. Both Jim and Alice felt this was the most empowering work of their life.
Jim is a member of Memorial Presbyterian Church in Appleton, WI. As part of the All Things Considered Men’s Group at MPC, he thinks he made over 3000 pots of coffee over the years. He was an Elder and served two terms as Clerk of Session. Before his first cancer diagnosis, he accompanied the youth on over a dozen work trips, and he loved every one. For several years he created CD’s of worship services to share with shut-ins. He developed the first MPC website and was the church webmaster for 10 years. To help rebuild after Hurricane Katrina, he participated in a church work trip to Houma, LA. When the Winnebago Presbytery Partnership traveled to Colombia, SA, he was there.
Jim traveled widely. For pleasure: to Alaska, Mexico, Japan, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Nepal, Egypt, South Africa, France, England, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, Italy, Russia, Iceland, Canada, and throughout most of the U.S. For missional work: to Majuro, Marshall Islands; England; Germany; Italy; Puerto Rico; and Colombia. For professional work: to Colombia; Venezuela; Brazil; Argentina; Italy; Germany; France; Austria; Phillipines; South Africa; Hawaii; South Korea; Taiwan; England; Indonesia; Australia; Belgium; Holland; Egypt; Singapore; Mexico; Chile; Canada; and many of the U.S. States.
In the Appleton community, Jim belonged to the Torch Club of the Fox Cities (2 years president); the Housing Partnership (1 year secretary and 1 year president); NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, as a computer network troubleshooter, participated in fundraisers through NAMI Walks and the NAMI Bowl-a-Thon. He loved doing Meals on Wheels; He received a Golden Rule Award from J.C. Penny for community service. He participated in the Kurgan, Russia, Sister City Project. He and Alice managed the Durkee Project, a housing rehab effort of a 5-bedroom home, a joint year-long endeavour of Memorial Presbyterian Church and the First United Methodist Church of Appleton.
He considered his single greatest accomplishment to have been the grandfather to Andrés and Alejandro Valdez, sons of Juan and Ana Maria (née Ortiz) Valdez. Not having children of his own, he found abundant gratification in his relationship with them.
His special interests included writing short stories, poetry, and essays; growing flowers, zinnias in particular; reading The New Scientist weekly magazine; building model airplanes and ships; old time radio; photography; and television mystery and science fiction series.
Survivors include his wife, Alice (née DesJardins), of 63 years; his sister, Carol Ann Corlett (née Baumbach) of Green Bay, WI; niece Marilyn Mead (née Thoss) (Steve) of Green Bay, WI; nephew David Thoss (Kathy) of Omro, WI , and niece Billie Jo VanRizen, Omro, WI; brother-in-law Edward DesJardins (Arlene) of Hermiston, OR; brother-in-law Norman (Billie) DesJardins of Gresham, OR; sister-in-law Donna (née DesJardins) (John) Bawiec of Modesto, CA; brother-in-law, Jim DesJardins (Johanna) of Damascus, OR; plus several nieces and nephews in Oregon, California, Idaho, and Washington; godson Alejandro Mass, Adjuntas, PR, currently serving with the military in Germany. Finally, and of utmost importance, his spiritually adopted daughter, Ana Maria, and son, Juan, of Appleton, WI, and his grandsons Andrés Valdez, Franklin, WI; and Alejandro Valdez, Stevens Point, WI.
Many thanks go to the members of Memorial Presbyterian Church for all of their support over the past 23 years. Additional thanks go to the ThedaCare At Home Hospice for their above and beyond care during the past 16 months, especially to Nurse Tess Agen; Bonnie Hoersch, APNP; Social Worker, Stephanie Vahlsing; CNA’s Carolyn Freyermuth; Breann Cordy and Claudia Abba; and Hospice Volunteer, Rich Kewley, who encouraged him every week to recall the important stories of his life.
REMEMBRANCES
Jim Baumbach: A Westside Story
By George Walters
It was a cold Chicago winter, 1977, and the old Westside Bethany Seminary where the ICA colleagues lived to work in Fifth City was suddenly without heat for the third time. All the stopgap solutions had not worked on the ancient steam heating system. We were getting quotes on a new system, which for an NGO budget were astronomical.
Jim had spoken to me several times about a treatment and restoration system of the old system and pipes that his company sold around the world and so we talked again and he said, “Let me show you what is possible.” I okayed a modest budget so he could go to work.
We managed to clunk along for several days by wearing sweaters and jackets, kept warm enough to work. Suddenly after about a week, the heat was on everywhere. A knock on my door and Jim was standing there smiling and saying, “come look.”
Down into the basement we went, and I could hear the roar of the furnace as we approached and there it was – new pipes painted red, and a series of drums of chemicals across the floor with tubing tied into new valves with handles you could turn. He and our building super, Mike Ford, were beaming from ear to ear as they explained to me the technology and the chemicals being applied.
“This tank will begin to clean out the rust and corrosion across the entire 5 story campus” he said. “This tank will prevent new build up of corrosion” he added. “This big barrel will collect the corrosion which we can then have hauled away. Mike will gradually increase the corrosion, removal chemicals and increase the chemicals that prevent build-up. I will help him monitor.”
But then there was the long-term issue. It was still an old system which could have other ailments. The chemicals were costly and would need to be sustained to sustain the system. Jim just smiled and said, yes that is all true, but we’ll tackle that next winter. I agreed. I’m not sure how the rest of that winter got paid for, but I think I know. By the next winter, I was gone and we soon left the old campus in favor of the Bethany Hospital’s expansion plan.
Today as we mourn Jim’s passing, we all remember the consummate professional he was, and the generous spirit he embodied as shown in this one of many stories.
Thank you for this memory Carol d George! What a gem !💎 I like to remember Jim as steadfast, just my name for Jim. With my love from down here,
~~ Isobel Bishop
My, what a life and what a partnership with Alice! I am deeply grateful for his life and so fortunate to have journeyed a while with Jim and Alice.