Gerald R. "Jerry" Baum

Gerald R. "Jerry" Baum, 88, a resident of Forty Fort, passed into eternal life early Friday morning, Feb. 10, 2023, at River View Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Wilkes-Barre, following a brief illness.

His beloved wife was the late Sylvia Ruth Stone Baum, who passed away on May 28, 2018. Together, Jerry and Sylvia shared 60 beautiful years of marriage.

Born May 15, 1934, in Schuylkill Haven, Gerald was one of six children born to the late Frederick Baum and Verna Rickert Baum.

Raised in Schuylkill Haven, Jerry was a graduate of Schuylkill Haven High School, Class of 1952.

A United States Navy veteran, Jerry honorably served his country for four years during the Korean War. Although he never saw battle, he qualified to study with the Naval Communications School in Seattle, Wash. He also received advanced training in a language program at the National Security Agency (NSA) in Washington D.C., and at several other Naval bases in Europe and the United States. Upon his honorable discharge on Nov. 1, 1956, he attained the rank of Communications Technician 3rd Class.

Following his military service, he went on to attend the Columbia School of Broadcasting, Philadelphia, spurring a 36-year career in broadcasting. Becoming interested in broadcasting while working in the production department of King TV in Seattle, Wash., he went on to work as a radio broadcaster before transitioning to television broadcasting. In 1961, he became a broadcaster for WBRE-TV, and was a staple there throughout his 31-year tenure, serving over his years there as a news director, news anchor, sports anchor and on-the-road reporter, until his retirement in 1992.

Jerry was a member of the Forty Fort Presbyterian Church, and also served for some years as a Judge of Elections for the Borough of Forty Fort. Professionally, he was a member of the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters.

In addition to his parents, Frederick and Verna, and his wife, Sylvia, Jerry was preceded in death by his daughter, Karen Baum, who passed away on August 24, 2022; his brothers, Carl, Marvin, Kenneth, and Elwood Baum; and his sister, Vivian Jackson.

Jerry is survived by his daughter, Cynthia Baum and her fiancé, John Boyko, Duryea; his sister-in-law, Elaine Stone, Ashland; and his numerous nieces and nephews.

Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend Jerry's funeral service which will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Wednesday from Wroblewski Funeral Home Inc., 1442 Wyoming Ave., Forty Fort, with the Rev. William Lukesh, pastor of Forty Fort Presbyterian Church, officiating.

Interment will follow in Memorial Shrine Cemetery, Carverton section of Kingston Twp., where military honors will be accorded by the United States Navy.

Family and friends are invited to attend Jerry's viewing which will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.

To share a message of condolence with Jerry's family, visit the funeral home's website, www.wroblewskifuneralhome.com, or Facebook page.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Jerry's memory to the Forty Fort Presbyterian Church, 1224 Wyoming Ave., Forty Fort, PA 18704, or to the Wyoming Valley Children's Association, 1133 Wyoming Ave., Forty Fort, PA 18704.