I first met Dave when we hired him as a Boy Scout (Eagle Scout) summer camp merit badge counselor for the San Mateo County Council in 1971 when he was 16 years old. 

He was very shy and serious, very soon, during the long eleven week summer camp season, we had him participating in all the trappings of camp fire songs and skits …. a transformation from just  participating to leading the campfires in front of 200 different scouts each week.

A great friend, we both ended up in Sonora, and met up with him when he worked at mother lode Christian school teaching my son - and kept in touch until I moved away. 

Pat & family - I'm no sorry to hear about David's passing. He taught our daughters in 4th grade at Mother Lode Christian 40 and 38 years ago. He was a lifelong learner and passed that inquisitiveness on to his students. Our girls thrived in his class and one is an elementary teacher herself. We live near you and my husband Terry used to walk our dog around Elks loop and come home telling me what he and David talked about. After Terry died I became the dog walker and looked forward to catching up with David when I would see him outside. He really was a beacon of joy and lived life fully. 

This is from our daughter, Marianne, about her 4th grade year with Mr. Baer: Every afternoon, after lunch, he would read aloud chapter books. I loved the way he brought the books to life. As a teacher now, I recognize and appreciate the connections he made with students. He made sure I knew I mattered. He had high expectations, but was quick to laugh with us. He was definitely one of the good ones!

Mr.Baer was my 4th grade teacher. He was a wonderful educator. The thing I remember most about him was his way of making every subject engaging for his students. 

We were learning about electricity, and he taught us how to build light bulbs. Each student building a working light bulb model. We all got our chance to be scientists, inventors, explorers, and engineers in his classroom. He saw brilliance in every child. He was a really awesome teacher. 

Rest in heaven, Mr.Baer.

Mr. Baer, as I knew him, was genuinely one of the most, if not THE most, outstanding teachers I ever got the pleasure of meeting.

For the first big assignment in fourth grade, Mr. Baer introduced "Watermelon Math". It had something to do with dissecting a piece of watermelon and counting the white and black seeds. I remember crying, because when everyone else finished, they were enjoying the watermelon, and the cooler bunch weren't worried about eating the black seeds, when I was raised not eating the black seeds and that made little me panic. Where most teachers had coddled me to that point, he might not have realized the severity at first, how sensitive I was. However, I learned to love his class.

I loved his recounting of his hikes around Yosemite and other parts of California, and one thing in particular I really enjoyed was his class auctions! He would go out of his way to pick out things like polished geodes, unbroken geodes, bags of polished rocks, and bugs and scorpions encased in lollipops, that we would bid for using our school currency.

When I got to high school, for part of our one of my senior classes, we were to interview somebody in a career path that one was considering going into, as a fresh adult exiting high school. I was aiming to be an English teacher, and where I didn't know a high school English teacher outside of the current school I was at, which was disallowed, I recalled one of the most inspirational teachers I had. He was willing to interview, no problem, and gave me an even better understanding at what it'd be like to teach at elementary level.

The last interactions I had with now, David Baer, was spectating his later-in-the-day shopping at SaveMart, where I would see him every couple or few weeks. At this point, I don't think he recognized me, but he made each day just a bit brighter.

He really deserved the best, and I'm very glad he lived his life with passion.

Pat and family, 

We are so sorry for your loss, and pray you will find comfort in sweet memories. May God surround you in His peace and care. 

In Christ,

Helen and Bill Betzler 

We are so sorry to hear about Mr. Baer’s passing. Both of our kids had him as a teacher for 4th grade at Soulsbyville School. He was so great as a teacher- kind, professional, supportive, dedicated. We requested him for our son after our daughter had had such a good year. My husband and I volunteered in the classroom, so we got to know him. That was 28 and 26 years ago. More recently, we would run into him in town every so often. We remember him so fondly. 

We are sending love to his family and to so many students and families he got to know in Tuolumne County who appreciated him and will miss him. 

Dawn and Robert Leibold