Obituary

Charles E. Baldwin III

Sun, 01/01/2017 - 8:45am

Charles E. “Skip” Baldwin III, born on Nov. 7, 1932, died Dec. 26, 2016.

Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, he graduated from Kimball Union Academy in 1950 where he was a member of the football, lacrosse and ski (downhill, x-country, jumping) teams. He graduated from Harvard College in 1954 where he played varsity lacrosse for three years and was a member of the Owl and Hasty Pudding Clubs.

In 1955 he married Lola Fortmiller. While in the U.S. Army from 1954-1956, he was stationed in Schweinfurt, Germany as a member of the 10th Mountain Division. Skip worked for Polaroid Corporation from 1961-1988 as a senior engineering manager. For 40 years, Juniper Farm was his home on Newton Street in Weston, Massachusetts.

He took an early retirement in 1988 and soon after sold Round Shot Panoramic Cameras. He had many happy days cruising the Maine Coast with his family on Drifter, his grandfather’s 30-foot Chris Craft. Skip was an avid skier, bicyclist, sailor and rower. He ski raced in the New England Masters circuit, was a long-term trustee of the New England Ski Museum and was a past president of the Ski Club Hocheberge, both in Franconia, New Hampshire. Skip enjoyed many ski trips across North America and throughout Europe, a favorite destination being Maria Saalen, in Northern Italy. His sailing adventures included racing One Designs in Boothbay Harbor where he summered for many years, establishing the junior program at the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club and sailing twice across the Atlantic as navigator on a 36-foot boat. He loved rowing in his single shell, Lola and rowed in the Master’s class in the Head of the Charles Regatta for several years.

He was a former member of the Board of Old North Church in Canaan, New Hampshire, and remained on the Canaan Historic Commission.

He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Lola; his daughters, Christie Hallowell (husband Barney) of North Haven, Maine and Betsy Baldwin of Brighton, Massachusetts; sons, Chuck of Orange, New Hampshire and Peter (wife Jona) of Bow, New Hampshire; four grandchildren, Leta, Maddie, Alexandra and Carter; four stepgrandchildren, Amanda, Jessie, Zach and Sam Hallowell; and sister, Beverley McCoid.

He was predeceased by his brother John M. Baldwin.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to Kimball Union Academy of Meriden, New Hampshire or the New England Ski Museum in Franconia, New Hampshire in Skip’s memory.

A remembrance ceremony will be held in the spring. Messages of condolence may be expressed with the family through an online guestbook by visiting www.rickerfuneralhome.com.