Dr. Don Baud

A retired educator, Dr. Don Baud of the Cartwright Community, was pronounced deceased at 1:25 a.m. Wednesday morning February 5, 2025 with his wife and daughter at his bedside at the Cookeville Regional Medical Center where he been a patient since January 25th. Mr. Baud was 78 years of age.
Dr. Baud was at the Carthage Chapel of Sanderson Funeral Home and as per his request he desired to be cremated and that was performed at the Cumberland Family Services in Algood.
There will be a Celebration of Life at a later date.
The only son of the late Reon Rice Boyd who died at the age of 74 on September 22, 1995 and Thelma May Nelson who died at the age of 72 in January of 1991, he was born Donald Reon Baud in Farmington in Franklin County, Maine.
He was a 1965 graduate of Farmington High School and received his Doctorate Degree at Memphis State University, now the University of Memphis.
On November 8, 1996 he was united in marriage to Farmington, Maine native, the former Sandra Alexis Chretien.
Dr. Baud retired in 2013 as a Professor of Biology at the University of Memphis.
He proudly and honorably served our country with the United States Marines during the Vietnam War and was honorably discharged from El Toro in Santa Ana, California with the rank of Sergent on September 17, 1969. He was inducted in Chicago, Illinois on September 20, 1965.
His tour of foreign duty included serving in Vietnam for a total of two years, two months, and eleven days. Part of that service was attending the DaNan Province Vietnamese Language school for 240 hours.
For his unwavering commitment to the protection of our country, he was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, a Vietnam Campaign two Good Conduct Medals, Vietnam Service Medal with one Star, 13 Air Medals with 2 Gold Stars, a Presidential Unit Citation with 1 Star, Combat Aircrew Insignia with 3 Stars, Single Mission Air Medal with 1 Bronze Star, and a rifle Marksmanship Badge.
In 2013 the Baud family moved from Coldwater, Mississippi and purchased a home in Gainesboro and in 2017 moved from Gainesboro to their present farm home on Difficult Road in the Cartwright Community.
Surviving in addition to his wife Sandra of over twenty-eight years are two children, Lisa Hutchinson and husband James of Horn Lake, Mississippi Dr. Keith McCrory of Marietta, Georgia; three grandchildren, Kelsa Owen and husband Courtland and their daughter, Anora Owen of all of Southaven, Mississippi, Dr. Victoria Hutchinson and husband Jake Higgenbotham of Oxford, Mississippi, Quentin Hutchinson and wife Abby of Horn Lake, Mississippi.