Louis Baumer II

Louis (Lou) J. Baumer II, 91, died Nov 12, 2022, in hospice at his home in Fort Myers, Fla.  His wife of 28 years, Catherine, was at his side. 
A graduate of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., he was Director of the Good Samaritan Guild of the Catholic Charities Foundation, Diocese of Venice, Fla.  He was a founder and Executive Director of the Catholic Charities Foundation for 22 years. 
Baumer said that the good Lord blessed him with two careers.  The first 35 years were spent in the retail stores business including JC Penney in New York City and Montgomery Ward in Chicago.  This work provided necessities and homes for his family and the ability to educate his six children through college.
The next 36 years gave him the opportunity to labor in the vineyard for Catholic Charities, both in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis, Mo., and in Southwest Florida, where he served as the first Development Director of Catholic Charities and as founding Executive Director of the Catholic Charities Foundation in the Diocese of Venice. Since 2003, Baumer served as Executive Director of the Foundation as a volunteer.
He is survived by his children: Rita (John) Gustafson, Sharon Petrucci, Deborah (Jack) Wheeler, Robert Baumer, and stepsons Hans (Shannon) Gerwitz and Kurt (Kathryn) Gerwitz, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His daughter, Mary Alice Geekie, preceded him in death in 2020, and also his son, David Baumer, in 2021.
The Mass for the Celebration of Life will be held at the Church of the Resurrection of Our Lord, 8121 Cypress Lake Drive, Fort Myers, Fla., 33919, on January 3, 2023.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to Catholic Charities Foundation,
1000 Pinebrook Road, Venice, FL 34285.

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