December 24, 1948 – January 2, 2024
Mark Baer passed peacefully into the arms of his Savior early in the morning of January 2 after a long battle with cancer.
He will be dearly missed by his loving wife of 49 years, Rieda (Gaalswyk), his 6 daughters – Heidi (Richard) Krahn of Wembley, AB, Melanie (Corey) Dyer of Carstairs, AB, Katie Baer of Fort Vermilion, AB, Kristin (Gregg) McNeil of La Crete, AB, Andria (Dustin) Wiltse of Mack, CO, and Mychal (Klarence) Bouwman of Fort Vermilion, AB, and his 19 grandchildren – Joshua, Abigail, Matthew, Timothy, Tyler, and Lydia Krahn, Marlayna, James, and Amy Dyer, Ava, Sadie, Lily, and Luke McNeil, and Zakary, Anneka, Nathanael, Markus, Arik, and Joziah Bouwman.
In addition, he is survived by his siblings Ruth, Naomi, Moses, Zenas, Amon, Amos, Joel, Jona, Elam, and Eden, as well as numerous other family.
He is predeceased by his parents Allan and Edna (Brubacher) Baer, brothers James and Luke Baer, and sisters Miriam and Myrtle Baer.
Mark was born in Bright, Ontario. His family moved around a lot, but they settled in Lake Park, Minnesota in 1960. He and Rieda met and married in Motley, Minnesota and spent the first 15 years of their marriage in Lake Park, running a trucking business and raising their 6 daughters.
In 1990, they moved to northern Alberta to homestead just outside of Fort Vermilion. Mark had a variety of occupations there including trucking, maintenance, farming, and working at the local high school as a teacher’s assistant.
Mark’s biggest passion, aside from his family, however, was serving the Lord. He gave his time to starting a Bible camp in the local area, participating in several overseas mission trips, and serving faithfully in his local church. For several years, up until recently, he served as the morning host at CIAM Radio, a local radio station dedicated to sharing the Gospel with the local communities. His voice is a voice many people grew to know and love.
But none knew and loved him more than his wife, his 6 daughters and their husbands, and his 19 grandchildren. Mark loved his family well, and taught his girls to love Jesus. He always had time for his family, when they were small and when they were grown.
Above all, Mark will be remembered as a man who loved the Lord deeply, and even at his weakest would say “Praise the Lord!” We know that he is rejoicing in the presence of his Savior.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8
A celebration of life will be held on Monday, January 8th at 2:00 PM at the Fort Vermilion Community Cultural Complex at 5001 44th Ave in Fort Vermilion, AB. Viewing starts at 1:00 PM.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Mercy Ships or CIAM Radio.
