Philip Baumgartner

Phillip Alan Baumgartner June 6, 1942-May 4, 2018 Las Cruces, NM resident Phil Baumgartner died peacefully surrounded by family on Friday, May 4th. He was 75 years old. He was born in Monroe, Wisconsin on June 6th, 1942, the second child to Kenneth and Phyllis Baumgartner. He lived in Albany, Wisconsin with his sister, Linda Undelhoven and brother, Scott Baumgartner until he was 11 years old. In 1953, the family moved to Lancaster, Wisconsin. He was highly intelligent and naturally skilled in many ways. As a boy, he developed a passion for reading, sports, fishing and playing games. He was an excellent cribbage player and competed in tournaments; he was a crafty poker player and was usually the winner, even in Las Vegas games. He played football and participated in track in high school. He was a talented musician, mastering the piano, trombone, and vocals. He won many awards at state musical competitions in trombone. He sang solos, and in quarters, where he received blue ribbons for his efforts. After high school, he went to the University of Wisconsin at Madison and received a degree. In his early 20's he moved to Chicago and started his business career working for Kemper Insurance. As his insurance career blossomed his reputation for hard work was rewarded and Kemper transferred him to Denver. Once there, he was recruited by American International Group (AIG) to open and manage their office. After accepting the position of Branch Manager, his AIG career in Denver grew and flourished for over 25 years. In addition to becoming highly respected member of the insurance community in Denver, he became a highly active member of the community. He served on executive boards for the Downtown Rotary Denver Kids, the International Order of the Blue Goose (an insurance organization) and had various leadership positions within Club Denver Soccer and CSYSA. In 1975, Phil met the love of his life, Cathy and was married to her by 1976. They raised 2 boys together (Brad Baumgartner and Jason Mendrey) and guided his sons to successful careers in the insurance business. One of his great joys in life, in addition to traveling with his wife, was supporting both his sons in youth soccer. He never missed a game and spent countless hours transporting his boys (and their friends/teammates) to and from practices and games. He and Cathy were fixtures on the sidelines of games with folding chairs and supportive cheers. Surviving family members include his wife of 42 years, Cathy Baumgartner and sons Brad Baumgartner and Jason Mendrey and families; siblings Linda Udelhoven and Scott Baumgartner and families; and numerous grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins. A tribute to his life will take place on June 8th at 10 am at Getz Funeral Home, 1410 E. Bowman Ave. Las Cruces, New Mexico 88001. Reception to follow at Hacienda de Mesilla, 1891 Avenida de Mesilla, Mesilla, NM 88046. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in his name to Jardin de los Ninos-1300-G El Paseo, PMB #272, Las Cruces, NM 88001. Service Information
Friday, June 8, 2018 10:00am,
Getz Funeral Home Chapel

1410 E. Bowman Ave
Las Cruces, New Mexico 88001