In Remembrance: Curtis Harold Baer

Curtis Harold Baer was born October 1, 1932, at Santa Monica Hospital to Ella Castelli and Harold A. Baer, who had a grocery store at 17 St. and Montana in Santa Monica.

He attended Pilgrim Lutheran Church and school. He then went on the Lincoln Jr. High and graduated from Samohi. Attended Santa Monica College then transferred to USC where he became a member of the ATO fraternity. He graduated in 1955 with a BS in Finance. While growing up he often worked in his father’s store and delivered newspapers for the Evening Outlook.

Curt met Leola in the fall of 1953 at a college youth group called Gamma Delta, sponsored by the local Lutheran church in Westwood. There was an immediate attraction even though Leola attended UCLA. By spring break they announced their engagement. They married on February 19, 1955 after completing their studies.

On their month-long honeymoon they drove to Key West, Florida and flew to Havana, Cuba for a brief visit. This was at the time when there was a war going on every other week between General Bautista and Fidel Castro.

After Curt’s return home, Paine, Webber, Jackson and Curtis, a stock brokerage firm, hired him. He started at the bottom marking the boards manually, long before the electronic boards.

In the fall of 1956, he was drafted into the Army. After basic training at Fort Ord, he reported for duty at Fort Holabird, Maryland where he went to Counter Intelligence School, and was then assigned to the Presidio in San Francisco. After six years of service, he was honorably discharged from the Army.

He and Leola returned to Santa Monica and he went back to Paine, Webber and became a registered stockbroker. He stayed with Paine, Webber, Jackson, and Curtis for 20 years.

In 1958, their son Brian was born, and a year and half later, their daughter Stephanie came along. In 1961 the family moved from an apartment in Santa Monica to their first home on Bollinger Drive, in Pacific Palisades. Eleven years later they moved to their current address.

Curt strongly believed in community and church service. After being named “Citizen of the Week” by KNX – 1070 Radio in 1992, Curt stressed, “that a person should not live in a community enjoying what the community has to offer, without giving something back”.

Curt certainly lived by his words. Curt was active with the Santa Monica YMCA playing handball and volleyball. He joined the Y’s Men’s Club and eventually became a member of the Board of Directors and served as President and a member of the YMCA Endowment Committee.

He was one of the first members of the Graffiti Busters in the Palisades. He served on the Village Green Committee, the Chamber of Commerce, Pacific Palisades Republican Club, the Pacific Palisades Optimists Club, and was co-founder of the LA – West Trojan Club. He also served many years on the church council and as an elder at Palisades Lutheran Church.

After his years as a stockbroker, Curt entered the insurance business with an office in the Palisades. He retired after the close of 2011 after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He passed away peacefully on June 15, 2013 with his family at his bedside. He leaves his wife of 58 years, Leola, his son, Brian and his wife Barbara, his daughter Stephanie and her husband Tony, and three grandchildren; Victoria, Sean, and Michele.