., SURVIVORS BAIRD'..L. PASCHAL1 SR. WIFE BORN Virginia Huddleston Paschal October 18, 1921 SON DIED Baird L. Paschal, Jr. November 8, 1996 DAUGHTERS FUNERAL Carolyn D. Setzer 11:00 AM Trudy P. Walters Monday, November 11, 1996 FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH BROTHER R. Fred Pasch3:1, Jr. INTERMENT Brush Creek Church Cemetery SEVEN GRANDCHILDREN ONE GREAT GRANDSON ******* CLERGYMAN Reverend Brian Reynolds
Baird's Eulogy -on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1996 ~ ~ ~Jctw '*-"~ - ~ 15-4~ ~ ~ -L: -.1:b.w <Y~ ~ ~-~ -c.::~1~- 4-;P-hJ (/ Two of Baird's favorite e~~e ~ayne and Ray Charles. They only wish they could sing as lovely as that. I am honored and humbled to be asked by Baird's family to say a few words in his remembrance. I love the Paschal family. From the time I moved to Siler City-which has now been about three decades-i have felt a bond, a closeness to this family that is similar to the way I feel toward my mother's family. Both the Paschal family and my mom's family have a large number in their memberships-with each member an individual in his or her own right--strong personalities linked by family ties. I always felt just as home with the Paschals as I have at any Williams gathering. Many people knew Baird and loved Baird, and many may have associations to recount and tales to tell, but when I think of Baird and his life, three distinct areas come into focus for me. When I talk about these areas, I want to borrow some wise words and notable quotes from others, but I will not be quoting anything from Shakespeare. Isn't that okay, Trudy? The first is so appropriate to this day and to this celebration because we find on this day our nation and our state paying tribute to our veterans. My dad was one, I am one, and certainly Baird was one. So I want to begin with Baird's strong sense of citizenship. The year was 1942, and Baird was a senior at Wake Forest College. He wasn't drafted because he had enlisted in the Army reserves so he could complete the last few months of his work for his Bachelor of Science degree. The war was
heating up, though, and Dr. Folk, his English professor, decided that Uncle Sam needed Baird more than Wake Forest--even though Baird's love of Shakespeare was not at the level Dr. Folk wished. Baird sat or maybe stood for his English final, which was pronounced satisfactory, and off to war he went in April, 1943. He entered Officer's Candidate School and earned a commission as a 2nd Lt. in the US Army. Before reporting overseas to Okinawa, Baird was stationed at Camp Hood, Texas, which had been a calvary training ground and still was to some degree with some horses still around. It was during his tenure at Camp Hood that Baird experienced first hand the level of commitment expected by the U.S. Army toward one's mount.... horse kissing incident When the war ended and with his active duty completed, Baird returned to Siler City where he was placed in the inactive reserve. In the early 1950's, Baird became an officer in the North Carolina National Guard, and many of you may not know that he served as the first commanding officer of the Siler City National Guard unit. It was under his leadership and through his dogged determination that the present National Guard Armory was built. Whether you go there to vote or to dance or to fulfill your military obligation, think of Baird because he was significant in the building of the Armory. His strong sense of citizenship also manifested itself in the political process. Long before Barbara Mandrel sang her hit song "I was Country before Country was Cool", Baird was a Chatham County Republican before being a Chatham
County Republican was something you admitted to. Many times we have heard the quote "Duty, Honor, and Country." Today those words are being said throughout this land, but today, and here, I use them to describe vividly Baird's strong sense of citizenship. It is only fitting that on this Veteran's Day we pay tribute to his life as a military veteran, a commissioned officer, and a patriot. "Old soldiers never die; they just fade away." Baird loved his family. It was after he returned home from active duty that Baird started noticing a pretty lady from his high school days. And to our future benefit, he was able to woo his beloved Virginia. A lasting legacy of that marriage of 49 years=built on a foundation of genuine love=is an enduring strong family unit. He shared with his children-- Carolyn, Baird, Jr., and Trudy-- a deep love and abiding interest in their lives. That same love and interest extended into the lives of their spouses - Jerry, and Kay, and Bennie. Sometimes that love carried over into what is now described as "tough love" -a love where each child is allowed to face the consequences of his or her own actions. If those actions required some form of discipline from Baird and Virginiathey received it. On the other hand=and just as important-- like the other side of the coin-- if those actions were cause for celebration-they celebrated. And now you grandchildren-jerry, Jr., Clay, Kelly, Trey, David, Jason, and Ivey -know where that tough love of your parents came from. When I moved to Siler City in 1968, I sought some adult males of my father's generation for fellowship and guidance. I think they call it mentorship now, but
anyway, I was looking for that in my life. They soon appeared. The two most influential men in my life--other than my own father--were found here in Siler City. One was my father-in-law, Obie Budd, and the other was Baird Paschal. One of the most fascinating connectors among these three men- my father, my father-inlaw, and Baird-was that each was married to a woman named Virginia. Virginia Grimes, my mother; Ruth Virginia Thomas Budd, my mother-in-law; and Virginia Huddleston Paschal, my dear friend and wife of my confidant. I know from Baird, Jr. and Jerry, Sr. that Baird had a favorite quote. He would often repeat it after a good meal--many, many, many of which I have shared in their home. I find it appropriate to repeat it because I think it's one way Baird would respond to his family to describe their life together "a most sumptuous repast." Baird's philosophy of living was guided by his deep belief in individual responsibility. Some individuals adopt certain principles and then impose upon themselves rules to guide them along life's path. One principle that Baird adopted early in life and practiced with increasing dimensions during the last 14 years of his life was one of individual responsibility. It is embodied in this quote that was familiar to him and to others of a special group, "Whenever someone reaches out for help, I am responsible." Baird helped many in need, whether it was that stranded soldier and his wife with a disabled car or someone needing a meal in Spivey's Corner or someone needing conversation or counsel --anywhere, anytime. Sharing with many
... individuals, Baird practiced this basic principle: Trust in God and live life one day ata time. His opinions were free for the asking. I never asked him what he thought about something if I didn't want his true thoughts. Because what I got--always--was the truth according to Baird. Sometimes he gave his thoughts even when he wasn't asked. If you don't believe me, just ask any member of the Geritol Club. There is an old Italian proverb, " Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back into the same box." That describes Baird's attitude towards others, and that's for you, Carolyn. In closing I want to share with you a quote from Henri Nouwen. "As long as I am constantly concerned about what I 'ought' to say, think, do or feel, I am still the victim of my surroundings and am not liberated... But when I can accept my identity from God and allow Him to be the center of my life, I am liberated from compulsion and can move without restraints." Baird moved without restraints among us, and now he it truly liberated. God Bless Baird! God Bless his Family! God Bless America!
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