David Baumann

David Jul Baumann (“Davey” to his family, “Gravy” to his great-grandchildren), greatly beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, died peacefully at home in Roswell, NM on July 22, 2021.  David was born in Ft. Worth, Texas on April 30, 1936, to Jul and Etoile Baumann who both predeceased him.

David is survived by his beloved and steadfast wife of 61 years, Rose Marie Baumann of Roswell.  He is also survived by his brother Julius Baumann (Beverly) of Sugarland, Texas.

Davey had a nickname for each of his kids and grandkids.  Those nicknames were only bestowed after careful observation or, sometimes, a food craving or some other whim that Davey was experiencing when meeting the person.  His life’s great sadness was that he was preceded in death by his daughter, Tammie (Bird Dog) Baumann.  He is survived by daughter Carrie-Leigh (Prissy Britches) Cloutier and her husband Drew (Prime Time) of Roswell; son David Bret (Hoss) Baumann and his wife Kelli (Trip-Tri-Tre) of Dripping Springs, Texas; and son Beau (Frog) Baumann and his wife Penny (Happy) of Roswell.  He is also survived by nine adoring grandchildren Joseph (Gator), Samuel (Thor), and Benjamin (Mudbug) Cloutier; Natalie (Thumper Marie) Viscuso; David Bret Jr. (Gumbo) and Brynn (Glory, Glory Hallelujah) Baumann; and, Brian (Tony) and his wife Angela (Sardine), Scott (Stump) and his wife Christina (Hillary), and Kevin (Crappie) Kelley and Kevin’s girlfriend Laura (Trout).  He is also survived by great-grandchildren Aidan (Cupcake), August (Gorilla), Maeve (Petunia), Aspen (Pickle), and Connor (Dak).

David’s father imbued in him a love of the outdoors—a love he passed down through the generations.  He loved to hunt, fish, and cook over a campfire.  He was a crack shot. His happy place was sitting around a campfire, drinking coffee, chatting, and laughing with his kids and grandkids.

David was an Eagle Scout. He served in the Air National Guard as an Assistant Chaplain and marksman. He was a life-long entrepreneur, from earth worms for gardening, to promoting professional sports (for his beloved Dallas teams), to advertising, to restaurant promotion. A consummate salesman, David's professional career was marked by his strong ties to people and the communities in which he lived. His happiest careers were working with his sons in the entertainment and credit card industries.

David’s mother contracted polio after having children and spent her remaining days wheelchair bound.  David and Rose Marie built a fully wheelchair accessible apartment on to their Dallas home for her.   Seeing his mother’s struggles inspired David to help the disabled by using his charm and friendliness to have business owners and landlords make their properties accessible.  He and some Roswell friends organized Access New Mexico, an organization to build wheelchair ramps in homes for many years. David was the guinea pig in the wheelchair to test the widths, turns, and steepness as well as the comic relief for the manual laborers.

David also devoted many years to promote the businesses and business people in his communities and was a longtime leader of the Roswell Business Alliance.

David’s second birthday, and the one he celebrated the most, was the anniversary of his sobriety, March 26, 1977.  Within a few years of his sobriety, David became a respected and beloved sponsor, leader, and speaker in the Alcoholic Anonymous movement in the Dallas area.  His compassion, gentleness, non-judgmental nature, and ability to see through an addict’s self-deceptions made him a favorite in AA circles.  When he moved to Roswell in 2000, David immediately assumed a similar leadership role in the local AA community.  Chances are that anyone calling the local AA helpline from 2000 until a few years ago spent time talking to David.  David also is survived by many recovering alcoholics whom he sponsored and other friends from the AA and Al-Anon communities who stayed in regular contact with David over the decades.  When asked if he wanted a drink, Davey always said “Yes, I’m going to have one tomorrow.”  Tomorrow never came.

David never met a stranger.  He would start a conversation with anyone, generally professing his love for the Dallas Cowboys which he hoped was mutual but, if not, he would extol the superiority of the Cowboys with a twinkle in his eye so that, by the end of the conversation, he had yet another friend.  Every restaurant server in town knew him because, in addition to gauging their love for the Cowboys, he would ask them to get him fresh oysters on the half shell.

David’s remarkable life will be celebrated by his family and friends on Saturday July 31, 2021 at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church, 2808 N. Kentucky Ave., in Roswell.  There will be a rosary at 10:30 a.m., Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m., followed by lunch in the Assumption Parish Hall.   David will be interred at the family plot in Dallas, Texas in a private ceremony.

To say that David was larger than life doesn't say enough. A single page can't contain all that David was but these are a few of the ways he'll be remembered: Viking, Cajun, Alligator Wrestler, Man On The Town, Master of the Wild, Cowboy Fan, Storyteller Extraordinaire, Friend to All, Fisher of Men.

The Baumann family would like to thank the medical professionals and caregivers who were so good to him: Dr. Al (Killer) Gonzales, Dr. Fundador Adajar, Dr. Mark Andrews, and Maureen DeNio.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Davey’s honor to The Chaves County CASA Program, PO Box 2131, Roswell, NM  88201, www.casakids.org