David W. Baird

1942 - 2010

Stockton, CA

David W. Baird

July 18, 1942 - August 20, 2010

David William Baird passed away on Friday, August 20, 2010 at his home in Stockton. He died at age

68 of cancer.

David was born on July 18, 1942 in Berkeley, California to James and Ruth Baird. He lived in Elko, Nevada, Berkeley, Pasadena, and Stockton while growing up, and graduated from Stagg High School in 1960. He graduated from the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio in 1964 and from Hastings Law School in San Francisco in 1967.

He and Anne Foster married in 1966, and in 1968 they moved to Stockton where David joined the San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office as a deputy DA. In 1971 he joined the Stockton law firm Mazzera, Snyder & DeMartini, where he became a partner and worked for many years. In 2001 David formed his own law practice, and in 2007 was named the Executive Director of the San Joaquin County Bar Association. For the past fifteen years David taught at The Humphreys College of Law in Stockton, where he enjoyed teaching and engaging with law students. David recently received the Humphreys Teacher of the Year award.

Over the past forty years David was very active in the Stockton community. He was a life-long member of the Presbyterian Church and was involved in its government. An avid birdwatcher, he was involved for many years with the Cosumnes River Preserve and not only served as a docent and advocate for the Preserve but spent most weekends hiking its trails and viewing its wildlife.

David is survived by his wife, Anne Foster Baird, his children Jesse Baird of Bloomington, Illinois and Rebecca Baird of Portland, Oregon; his three grandchildren

Foster, Bryson and Liam; his

mother, Ruth Baird, of Pasadena; his brothers Dr. Donald Baird of Sacramento and Jim Baird of Occidental, California, and his sisters Kathy Wills of Benicia, California and Barbara MacIntyre of Kingston, Washington. He was preceded in death by his father James William Baird, a former Senior Pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in Stockton.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 28, 2010 at 10:30 AM at the First Presbyterian Church in Stockton. He will be privately interred at the ancestral plot of his pioneer family at the Plainsburg Cemetery in Le Grand, California.

The family suggests no flowers, but a memorial may be made to

either the Hospice of San Joaquin at 3888 Pacific Avenue, Stockton, CA 95204 or the Cosumnes River Preserve at 13501 Franklin Blvd., Galt, CA 95632.