Birth date: Nov 24, 1944 Death date: Nov 14, 2023
Obituary Published in the Baltimore Sun by Frederick N. Rasmussen on November 23, 2023 at 5:00 a.m. https://www.baltimoresun.com/2023/11/23/baltimore-native-john-f-baesch-army-veteran-who-was-a-csx-and-an-amtrak-executive-with-a-f Read Obituary
RIP old friend. Miss our talks.
Eulogy by Peter J. Marcher read at John's Funeral Mass Part 3:
"After college John and I went our separate ways: different postings in the Army, different careers and mostly in different places. Through it all, we communicated, sometimes by mail, sometimes by phone and sometimes not at all for prolonged periods. Yet, when we did get together, it was like “the old days”. We could talk for hours and when the conversation flagged, one of us would pick up the thread and on it would go. I have been good friends with John for well over 50 years. Such longstanding friendships are rare and should be greatly valued.
There were periods, when John worked in Baltimore in the early 1970s that on Tuesday nights, we had a standing date for dinner at the Big Boy restaurant on Loch Raven Boulevard or sometimes a John-prepared dinner with drinks at his apartment, which may have been just an excuse to use part of his extensive dining car china and silverware collection. Actually, he wasn’t a bad cook. We even had lobster tails a couple of times. In later years, after he retired from Amtrak, and moved back to his beloved Baltimore, I saw him again, sometimes with Evelyn, for breakfast at Bob Evans in Timonium. Visits to M. B. Kleins model train store and the Amish market were sometimes included. After a while, at these breakfasts, I noticed that he would occasionally and increasingly have trouble thinking of a word or two. It was the beginning of his slow descent into Alzheimer’s, culminating in a 2-year residence at Keswick Multi-care, but he always seemed to accept his situation with equanimity and good humor. I visited him there occasionally, but probably not often enough. Gradually, communicating became more one-sided and near the end, I tried to schedule my visits along with Evelyn’s, an Orioles broadcast or an old movie on TCM. One gratifying thing is that he always seemed to recognize me, perhaps a testament to our long friendship. So, God bless you, John, good friend, farewell. And, “until we meet again”. "
Eulogy by Peter J. Marcher read at John's Funeral Mass Part 2:
"John was a man of strong opinions about people and other things. Yes, he was “judgmental”. For example, he detested eggnog and peas. Why? Who knows? Similarly, why do friendships form? In our case some of the “glue” was probably our experiences at the Loyolas, the Army, our Catholic faith, a common sense of humor AND the railroads. One thing was sure: once you had passed “the test”, you were a good and enduring friend who was remembered over many years. His preferred means of communication seemed be the U.S. Mail. Occasionally and unexpectedly, you would find in your mailbox post cards from his numerous travels or letters containing items of mutual interest. And those mailings were always delivered with the latest limited issue postage stamps of his fancy.
John was a man of literary interests too, especially the Sherlock Holmes canon and the works of P.G. Wodehouse. For years he was a member of both of their societies. It was during a Sherlockian event in 1987 in Philadelphia, soon after those bad days at that terrible accident in Chase, Maryland, that he met certain woman, a resident of New York City, a legal secretary, a Catholic and, yes, a fellow Latin major. Years later, while consulting for P-B in England, he mentioned a growing affection for that woman and that he missed her company. John was in his late fifties and, so, by then, I assumed him to be a confirmed bachelor. In spite of that, sometime after returning from England, one morning before work, he called Evelyn Herzog at her home in New York and he proposed. That was the day of his heart attack. One evening at dinner, I related this to my wife and younger daughter Karen, who exclaimed “Oh my gosh, he thought that he was going to die and he asked her to marry him. That’s so romantic!” Well, it was. He recovered, they married in 2003 and it was the beginning of 20 years of romance, travel, common interests, friendship and devotion that ended only recently.
John was also a man with a strong Catholic faith. When informed of the death of a friend or acquaintance, in short order, a mass card was in the mail, often from some obscure monastery or abbey. He often volunteered as a lector at mass at his various parishes, a task to which he was well suited, because of his voice, delivery and bearing. Until his death he was member of the 3 church Catholic Community of South Baltimore. Fr. Kevin Ewing was his pastor and he will officiate at today’s service."
Eulogy by Peter J. Marcher read at John's Funeral Mass Part 1:
"John Francis Baesch was the only child of Rudolph and Shirley Baesch. He was raised here in Parkville, Maryland in a house on Old Harford Road. St. Ursula’s was his parish, and in the spring of 1958, he graduated from St. Ursula’s Grade School. Accordingly, Evelyn Herzog, his wife, decided that this would be a convenient and appropriate venue for his funeral mass.
Good morning and, on behalf of Evelyn, welcome! I’m Pete Marcher, a long-time friend of John. I first met him in our freshman year in the fall of 1958, in section 1D at Loyola High School. After freshman year we followed separate studies. He became a Greek scholar. I did not. By the time we graduated from Loyola College in the spring of 1966, he was one of my 2 best friends from school days.
Early on it was clear that John was smart with a very good memory for names, places, dates and obscure words. I was maybe a little envious of that. At Loyola High, the Jesuits expected you to spend at least 3 hours on homework every night. I know that I did. Years later I asked him how much time he usually spent. He allowed, “oh, maybe an hour”. My envies were confirmed. On the other hand, John was, to be charitable, “athletically challenged”. In spite of that, for years, his preferred modes of local transportation were walking and the Baltimore Transit Company. But, by the early 1970s, because of his job, he was forced to learn to drive and buy a car, long after that milestone 16th birthday.
In college, John chose a Latin major. Yes, he was one of only 2 in the class of 1966. I was not the other one. We both took Army ROTC and were commissioned as 2nd Lieutenants at graduation in 1966. Normally, active duty would soon follow, but John and I were deferred for 1 year at the convenience of the Army. John taught at Southern High School for that year. Incidentally, years later, that school was converted to apartments and, until recently, John and Evelyn resided there. Obviously, he loved the place. Anyway, on active duty, we both eventually ended up in Vietnam, John as a transportation officer at the Cam Ranh Bay air base. It was there In June 1970, after my one-year tour of duty, that John personally put me on a “freedom bird” back to the “world”. At the airport Cpt. Baesch made sure that Cpt. Marcher was the first man out of the bus, on the tarmac, and, with a handshake, on the plane in his seat of choice for that long flight home. Always good to “know a guy” as they say!
When John got out of the Army, he was a Captain in the Transportation Corps with 4 years of experience. Since he was casting about for a career, didn’t want to return to teaching and had always had an interest in trains, I suggested that he apply for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad’s Management Training Program. I told him that if he applied, he would be a “shoo in”. Well, he did and he was. The B & O soon became part of the Chessie System, and after working there for about 5 years, he hired on at Amtrak, where he held very responsible positions in several cities on Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor. I’m sure that there were many good, rewarding days, but surely the darkest was January 4, 1987, the day of the terrible wreck of train 94, the northbound Colonial at Chase, Maryland. Sixteen people died and it was a horrible mess. He was on-site and very involved in the clean-up. It must have been very traumatic, because although, at this point, we were very good friends, he never said much about the experience. After retiring from Amtrak in 1999, he returned to Baltimore, working at Parsons-Brinkerhoff (P-B), a transportation consulting firm. He finally retired in 2013. "
John was a smart, direct, and witty human being, and it was a privilege to call him a friend. He was a great and accomplished Sherlockian and an expert on all things railroad. He loved Baltimore and the Orioles. My profound sympathies to Evy. We all have lost a great one in John.
John was a brilliant conversationalist.He had a wide knowledge about many topics.
Thanksgiving was bit sadder upon reading of John's passing. Even though it's been over 60 years since John and I met at Loyola College, my memories still remain fresh; especially, John having the best line of the night at Loyola Night (an evening in which student skits usually poked fun at the administration) when onstage he said to me, "Aren't you a little old to believe in a student government?" Later, on that same evening, he got more laughs when I hit him in the face with a pie. The next year he returned the favor.
At Loyola, John's quick wit – never mean-spirited – and demeanor earned him many life long friends.
Deepest condolences to his family. He will be missed by many.
