Silver Spring, Maryland, United States…[ADRA International]
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) regretfully announces the passing of Pastor Edwin Baumgartner, on Thursday morning, March 18.
Baumgartner died in Harlingen, Texas, at the age or 49, after a year-long battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Pam, and four children.
We highly value the service Ed gave to the Lord’s work in Inter-America and his long-time, faithful commitment to ADRA. We pray Pam will have the strength and support to continue on in her responsibilities to her family as well as her service to God and the community,” stated Wally Amundson, regional vice president for ADRA Inter-America.
“Ed was a tremendous influence in each place he served. He created harmony between the entities he worked with and was willing to go out of his way to be of service to those in need. He was very clever and capable and had a very personal and genuine way of working with those around him,” recalled Amundson. “His influence is still felt today in the many lives he touched.”
The Baumgartner’s first mission assignment was in 1981 as volunteers to Peru. Later, they accepted a call as missionaries to teach in Peru from 1985 to 1993 where they also adopted four children. During that time, Ed was appointed ADRA Peru country director, where he contributed to the growth of what has become ADRA’s largest country office worldwide. He served as country director for ADRA Nicaragua from 1993 to 1998 and country director for ADRA Haiti from 1998 until December 1999. For the past three and a half years, he pastored several churches in Southern Texas.
“On behalf of the entire ADRA network, we express our deepest condolences to the Baumgartner family,” stated Charles Sandefur, president of ADRA International. “We are grateful for the many years of service Ed gave to furthering the mission and work of ADRA.”
Memorial services were held Sunday, March 21, in Harlingen, Texas. Condolence messages can be sent to Pam Baumgartner at pcbaumgartner@yahoo.com. The family requests your graciousness in allowing them ample time to respond.