Lester F. Baird Jr. obituary

Lester "Frank, Hot Rod" Baird, a former pipefitter in the maintenance services unit of the Department of Facilities Management at Western Michigan University, died Aug. 20. He was 66.

Baird joined the WMU staff in 1987 and retired in 2011 after 24 years of service to the University.

His job primarily involved helping WMU maintain its myriad steam pipes and doing welding as assigned. Earlier in his career, he was a boilermaker who built nuclear and conventional power plants.

Baird, an avid NASCAR fan, used to race cars locally and became a championship builder of street rods as well as a street rod mechanic.

He is survived by his wife Linda, who retired from WMU's Office of Development and Alumni Relations in 2012.

Services and remembrances

Services have been held. Burial took place in Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Kalamazoo.

Visit obits.mlive.com/obituaries/kalamazoo to read the family obituary, or send a tribute or condolence. Memorial gifts may be made to Lending Hands or the West Michigan Cancer Center.