Elsie Mae Baumann

Elsie Mae (Roe) Baumann passed away in her sleep under the loving care of Maggie's Place in Ames, Iowa, on May 28th at the age of 90. She and her dear companion, Jerry Scradle, had been out for dinner and a walk at Ada Hayden Lake just the night before, as had been their routine for over 15 years. Funeral services for Elsie Mae Baumann will be held at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 610 15th Street, in Ames. The family will greet friends one hour prior to services at the church. Elsie was born at home on a farm near Rose Grove (Williams) Iowa on September 18, 1935 to Jim and Martha (Vespestad) Roe. She played for hours with her younger brother Keith, was teased and guarded by her older brothers James and Raymond and most loved by her sister Grace who was 14 years her senior. Keith and she walked to country school every day and would share left over lunches with the neighbor girls on the way home, hoping to find a cookie rather than a dried-up sandwich. Elsie was baptized and confirmed in the Rose Grove Lutheran Church and raised in a home where faith in Jesus was at the center. She moved with her parents to a farm north of Williams an...[more]

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he continued her education in town. The school years were full of activities including a trip to the Drake Field House in Des Moines in 1954 to play state basketball. Elsie was a standout forward playing on the team from the time she was in 8th grade. Summers were filled with 4H projects, many of which qualified for exhibit at the Iowa State Fair. She graduated in 1954 as valedictorian of her class at Williams. In high school many a noon lunch was spent at the Baumann's Drug store in uptown Williams. Elsie met the owner's son David, and soon a romance grew. The Korean War took David overseas after high school and Elsie was off to Waldorf College to become a teacher, where she graduated magna cum laude. Her first teaching job was in Dows, IA 3rd grade. Upon David's return from Korea, they made plans and were married October 26, 1957, at Rose Grove Church. David's job at Midway Airport in Chicago took the newlyweds off to the big city, where Elsie worked as a bank teller. When they discovered they were expecting a child they were quick to return to Williams. Their daughter Cynthia (Cindy) was born in 1958 and became their joy, filling their home with friends and taking them to many a bleacher seat over the years. Elsie began teaching kindergarten in 1959 at Williams and continued her career there for 23 years, teaching also Title I reading and 3rd grade. Iowa required teachers to have a bachelor's degree, and Elsie and her colleagues commuted to Drake University in Des Moines for two years, graduating in 1967. She loved the staff she taught with, making many treasured friendships. She also received many endearing notes from students over the years. Elsie and David moved from Williams to Stewartville, MN in 1982, where David worked for TWA airlines and Elsie continued to substitute teach. They followed TWA to St Louis and retired from there in 1990 to their lake home in Park Rapids MN on Potato Lake where they enjoyed making many lasting friendships with neighbors and their families. They had traveled throughout their lives visiting family and friends and continued to spend winters in Galveston TX until David's death in 2006. Elsie left the lake and moved to Ames, IA returning to her cabin in the summers with her grandchildren and Cindy and Ron. Adjusting to life in Ames was made much easier by her kind neighbors, her granddaughter Christy including her in her college life and a loving church community at St Paul's Lutheran in Ames. She began volunteering for Lutherans for Life and met Jerry, who would become a true gift with his generosity, sense of adventure, and unending kindness. They traveled, spent many hours with family and friends and ate out nearly every day. Many staff members of the restaurants in Ames knew them by name. Elsie moved from her home in Ames in June of 2025 to Maggie's Place, where she was surrounded by loving caregivers until her passing. Elsie loved her family, especially her grandchildren Christy, Emily, and Steven. Christy filled her Ames days with adventures and visits from the great granddaughters; Emily shared her love for crafts and entertaining and always brought her homemade treats; Steven shared her deep love for the Minnesota Northwoods, hunting and fishing like grandpa. The cabin on Potato Lake will be a legacy that will be treasured. She is preceded in death by her husband David; her parents Jim and Martha Roe; her In-laws Reinhold and Leola Baumann; her siblings and their spouses Grace (Benard) Huisman, James Roe, Raymond (June) Roe, Keith Roe. Brother in laws Ronald Baumann and Don Smith. She is survived by her daughter Cindy (Ron) of Blakesburg IA and their children Christy (Josh) Roberts of Cumming IA, Emily (Justin) Nicol of Maplewood MN and Steven (Taylor) Donohue of Park Rapids MN. She was blessed with 6 great-grandchildren: Colette, Eleanor and Rose Roberts; Henry and Louetta Nicol and David Donohue. Sister in laws Eunice Roe of Vestal NY, Joan Smith of Leesburg FL and Shirley Baumann of Iowa Falls IA. Funeral services will be held at St Paul's Lutheran Church in Ames on June 16th at 11:00 with family being present one hour prior. Lunch to follow the service. Internment will be at Rose Grove Cemetery later in the day. Her favorite Bible verse was "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all." Philippians 4:4-5 NIV