Patricia A. Baum

Patricia Caffrey Baum died February 8th, 2020 at her home in Callicoon.  She was born January 15, 1926 to the late Grant and Lena Adams Caffrey in Braman, PA.  

She is survived by daughters Valerie Baum Lingeman of McLean, VA, and Willow Baum of Callicoon; son-in-law Christopher Lingeman; grandsons Anton and Adam Lingeman; step-grandchildren Nicholas, Chloe, Madeleine, and Clayton Lundgren; and cherished nieces and nephews.

She was pre-deceased by her husband, Arnold Baum, and her two sisters, Beatrice Caffrey (Mrs. Virgil) Teeple of Equinunk, PA, and Freda Caffrey (Mrs. Clarence) Stalker, Damascus, PA.  

Pat’s early education began in the one room school in Manchester Township, Wayne County, PA.  Following her graduation from Hancock Central High in Hancock, New York in 1945, she attended Marywood College and St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing, Carbondale, PA, graduating in 1948.  While serving as a nurse at the Callicoon Hospital, she met Callicoon native Arnold Baum and on August 27, 1951, they married. When Arnold was recalled to active duty during the Korean War, they embarked on a 20-year adventure as an Air Force family. They travelled extensively, and Pat continued nursing wherever their travels took them.

Retiring to Callicoon in 1970 to their first permanent home was a dream fulfilled. They were happy to re-establish roots here:  their daughters attended Delaware Valley Central School and forged lasting friendships; they planted and harvested flower and vegetable gardens, and being part of a stable community became a reality.

Right up to her death at 94, Pat was curious, energetic, and enterprising.  Duty and responsibility were core values. She believed one should never ask another to do a task you are unwilling to do yourself.  As a citizen, she believed we have a responsibility to shape our society through our words and actions.  During her Air Force years, she was a charter member of a business and professional women’s association, and held leadership positions in Officers Wives Clubs here and abroad.  She left the nursing profession when her children were born and turned her interests to business and civic pursuits compatible with family life.  Pat became a licensed broker of real estate and securities, managed family real estate holdings, and was active in the United Methodist Church, where she served as Parish Treasurer, Sunday School teacher, and Superintendent.  She also served as long term advisor and Trustee of the Hortonville Cemetery Association.  Concerned about the lack of medical research focused specifically on women’s health issues, Pat participated for over 30 years as a research subject for the Harvard Nurses Health Study, the longest and most comprehensive study of women’s health issues ever conducted (https://www.nurseshealthstudy.org/about-nhs/history.  She made her opinions on civic matters known over the years by writing (and ghost-writing, for Arnold) many letters to the editor.  She and Arnold also established a dedicated investment fund for the Hancock Community Education Foundation, supporting their “birth to college” mission. 

Although Pat had lived in or visited some of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities, she was happiest at home, cooking a great meal for family and friends, reading, playing pinochle, rejoicing in the changing seasons and small town life, and creating a warm and welcoming home for her family.

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