G. Kenneth Baum Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

G. Kenneth Baum, 91, passed away from age-related health complications on November 9, 2021 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota with family at his side and many others sharing love and support by phone. Favorite classical pieces and songs from The Fiddler on the Roof were playing in the background. Kenny was born July 6, 1930 in Kansas City, Missouri to his parents, George Kohler and Ruth Goodman Baum. He enjoyed a remarkable lifelong friendship with his older sister, Elaine. The goodwill and support between them was enviable. Over the decades they came together for casual dinners, community events and travels around the globe. Growing up, he attended Bryant Elementary and Southwest High School and graduated from Pembroke-Country Day in 1948. He studied history at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, graduated in 1952, and remained a lifelong supporter and fan of the school. Kenny married Jean Berkley in 1960 and they had three children, Jonathan, George and Jessica. They divorced in 1988. Immediately after graduating from college, Kenny began his professional career at George K. Baum & Company, a regional firm focused on the underwriting and sale of municipal bonds. He succeeded his father and founder of the business, who had suffered a debilitating stroke. On his first day, he drove downtown to the Pioneer Trust Building on Baltimore Avenue and, according to Kenny, “sat in the only seat available, which was my father’s.” He embraced this challenge as he would with most difficulties to come, not focused on what would happen if he failed, but rather by getting down to work. Kenny took tremendous pride in the work of municipal finance, raising capital for cities, states, hospitals, school districts and related entities. He believed it to be a noble business and took delight in quizzing friends and family, asking them to guess the name of the city that served as the county seat for each county in Kansas and Missouri. No surprise, he knew them all. In 1994, he sold the business to his son, Jon, and continued in an advisory role as the business expanded to 24 cities and 200 employees. In 2002, Kenny married the love of his life, Ann Kaufmann. Their love of the arts, music, travel and family fostered a deep love and admiration for each other. They encouraged and supported each other’s desire to give back to the Kansas City community by serving on numerous boards, and through philanthropy focusing on education/inequality, art/culture, environment/conservation and projects to improve the quality of life in Kansas City. Kenny was admired for his devotion to family and friends and for his role as a community leader in business and philanthropy. He believed in encouraging and supporting family and friends, contributing to meaningful projects and trying to leave the world a better place. His positive attitude and belief that hard work and perseverance will result in success inspired those around him to do their best. Kenny knew no strangers. He loved talking to people and learning about their passions, their children, how they spent their time and their goals for the future. He was as comfortable in his scarlet jacket jumping fences with the Mission Valley Hunt as he was enjoying classical selections at the symphony. He biked across Martha’s Vineyard in the summer, traveled to New York City to see the Metropolitan Opera in the fall and encouraged everyone to enjoy a scoop of ice cream in all seasons. He earned bragging rights with his daily step count. He relaxed on a weekend afternoon by reading nonfiction or watching a favorite film on the Turner Movie Channel. Kenny will long be remembered for his dedication to preserving the natural world. His love of the outdoors originated with his father, a forestry major. For over 30 years, Kenny assembled acreage in southern Johnson County to safeguard its natural state and beauty, protecting it for generations to come from development or degradation. He worked to conserve natural treasures across Kansas and was proud to be a founding member of the Kansas Chapter of The Nature Conservancy’s Board of Trustees. His interest in exploring the wonders to be found outdoors is a legacy that will be cherished by his children and grandchildren, who will remember him crossing golden fields with a walking stick in hand, making note of the blue herons landing on their nests, or pointing out coyote tracks at the creekside. Recently, Kenny partnered with a nationally known ornithologist to survey and photograph the birds living on or crossing over his trees and fields, and was delighted to see the tally of 102 different species. Kenny was comfortable and enthusiastic in raising money for community projects that he cared about and never took no as a first or final answer. At the time of his death, he served as a member of the following civic organizations: the Board of Trustees of the Kansas Chapter of The Nature Conservancy; President and Director of Blue River Land Trust; University of Missouri-Kansas City Trustees Emeritus and as a Trustee of the George K. Baum Family Foundation and the G. Kenneth Baum and Ann Baum Philanthropic Fund. He has previously served on the Board of Directors of the Jewish Heritage Foundation, Kansas City Economic Development Council, the New Reform Temple, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Menorah Medical Center and as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of University of Missouri-Kansas City. Kenny loved helping organizations and individuals think through problems and develop strategies to solve them. As he served with others to advise and grow businesses, he also developed lifelong friendships. He was a member of the Board of Directors of American City Business Journals, Inc., Gilbert/Robinson, Inc., H&R Block, Inc., Interstate Bakeries Corp., Jason/Empire, Inc., Kansas City Public Service Co., King Louis International, Inc., Sealright Co., Inc., Smith & Loveless, Inc., Unitog Co. and Woolf Brothers, Inc. Kenny was preceded in death by his parents, George and Ruth, his son, George Kohler, and his sister, Elaine Ryder. He is survived by his loving wife, Ann, his children, Jon (Sarah) and their children Brian, Carter, Mark and Meredith, and Jessica Pasmore (Chris) and their children Catherine and Will. He is also survived by Ann’s daughters, Rachel Loeb (Zach Block) and their children Solomon and Walter, and Emily Loeb (Lee Hammons) and their children Hannah and Samuel. A celebration of Kenny’s life will be held on Wednesday, November 17th at 2:00 p.m. at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in the Atkins Auditorium. Masks will be required. A reception will follow in the Bloch Lobby. The family kindly requests no flowers and that contributions in honor of his memory be made to the Kansas Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, the Kansas City Symphony, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art or The New Reform Temple. Kenny will be incredibly missed, as he leaves a hole in the hearts of many, but also undoubtedly a legacy to celebrate.

G. Kenneth Baum

July 6, 1930 - November 9, 2021