Harry L. Baldwin

Harry L. Baldwin, 93, of Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, passed away on October 10, 2026, after a life well lived. Born in Wisconsin, he was the youngest of seven children. After his father's early death, Harry grew up in a family of modest means. He helped his family get by through paper routes, grocery work, and summers picking potatoes, cherries, and blueberries. He often said those rough years changed for good when he met Shirley.

Harry and Shirley started high school together in 1947. He played clarinet in the marching band and was elected vice president of his senior class, a post he never understood winning. He was famously caught winking at Shirley during geometry class. They were married in 1953.

After high school, Harry enlisted in the Air Force, where he trained in electronics and seismology. He was stationed in Wyoming, where he worked in the mountains detecting Soviet atomic and hydrogen bomb tests. He and Shirley spent two and a half years there, and Harry hunted deer and antelope. He later earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering while Shirley worked to put her "hubby" through school.

Harry's engineering career took the family to California, where he worked on the Snark missile system. In 1962 they moved to Minnesota, where he joined IBM and rose to senior engineering manager. When his project moved in 1979, the family went with it to Texas, where they lived for thirteen years. Harry retired in 1992, and he and Shirley settled in Hot Springs Village the following year.

Harry loved camping, boating, fishing, snowmobiling, and traveling with his family. Retirement took him and Shirley on cruises to Alaska, the Panama Canal, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean, and on trips to Europe, New Zealand, Australia, and Egypt. He treasured watching his sons grow up and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren arrive.

Harry is survived by his wife of 73 years, Shirley; sons Dirk (Graciela) and Steven (Melissa); daughter-in-law Jeanne, widow of his son Craig; nine grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, his siblings, and his son Craig.

A funeral service will be held on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. at Christ of the Hills United Methodist Church in Hot Springs Village. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Christ of the Hills' ministry outreaches.