Brian Guy Baum, 81
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 10 months, 1 week AGO
Baum
Brian G. Baum, 81, passed away at home unexpectedly from heart failure June 1, 2025.
He was born March 2, 1944, in La Grande, Ore., to Guy Hiatt Baum and Niola Anderson. When Brian was 18 months old, Guy, who worked for Union Pacific Railroad, died in a tragic accident, leaving Niola with Brian and his older brother Kerry to raise. While Niola worked to support them, they ran free, battling neighborhood kids one foxhole at a time.
When Brian was roughly 8, Niola married Jake V. Jones, a student working on his education degree, and moved to Moscow, Idaho, to finish classes. The family moved many times after that and continued to grow with the addition of a younger sister and brother.
Graduating from Coeur d’Alene High School and later NIJC, he finished his Elementary Education degree from BYU and then taught in Duchesne, Utah, for three years before returning home to Coeur d’Alene, where he worked many different jobs. He met and married Judy Schofield in September 1971 in the Idaho Falls LDS temple. Not long after, he quickly realized they needed a better income and signed a contract to teach in the Post Falls School District, where he taught for 31 years, retiring in 2003.
He was active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving in many callings, including Bishop. Because he had to move so many times as a child, he chose to stay put after moving to Hayden from Hidden Valley near Rathdrum. There, they raised five children in the same home for 43 years, maintaining a beautiful property (the one with the hedge) whilst quietly serving others and providing for the needs of their family. His love and service will be greatly missed.
Brian is survived by his wife of 53 years, Judy, and his children, Steven Baum, Brandon (Kristina) Baum, Stephanie (Eric) Bowman, Kathryn (Stephen) Koller, and Michael Baum. Along with his siblings, Kerry (Lynda) Baum, Jennifer (Robert) Maines, L. Jake (Lora) Jones, and nine grandchildren, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
English Funeral Chapel has been entrusted with the arrangements. The Funeral Service will be held Thursday, June 12, at 11 a.m., at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 2293 W. Hanley Ave., Coeur d'Alene, ID 83815.