Finding love over a donut

Sitting down with Fred and Jean Baue is like attending a marriage retreat. They laugh together. They listen to each other. And their respect and love for each other come through loud and clear in their words and actions.

Fred says, “We can talk about books, ideas, music, politics, spirituality, and all kinds of things. One of the reasons I was attracted to Jean was she wasn’t afraid to have a brain!”

The couple met when they were both attending Florida State University in the mid-seventies. Fred was studying the classical guitar, and Jean was working on two master’s degrees, one in music with a focus on vocal performance and another in library science.

For Fred, it was love at first sight.

“We had a mutual friend through Jean’s church. He called me one day and said, ‘Fred, get your guitar and come over here. There are two good-looking girls here.’ I grabbed my guitar and went over there right quick,” Fred said. “One of them was Jean, and honestly, I was in love. Bingo. Just like that!”

Jean said she was very reserved and didn’t fall for Fred as quickly as he did for her, but she soon succumbed to his charm and their many shared interests. They married two years later and moved back to Fred’s hometown of St. Louis, MO, where he attended Concordia Seminary.

“Being a pastor was my second career,” Fred said. “I spent a number of years playing in coffee houses, pubs, and folk festivals. While studying at Florida State [University], I started going back to church and got interested in reading the Bible. Much to my surprise, the Holy Ghost grabbed me and dragged me into the ministry. I’ve been doing that quite happily for 40 years.”

In addition to pastoring congregations in Minnesota, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Illinois, Fred was an editor at Concordia Publishing House in St. Louis. While still in Florida, Jean worked behind the scenes cataloging music at the Florida State University Library. When they moved back to St. Louis, she was the librarian archivist at Concordia Publishing House.

In 1991, Fred and Jean co-wrote a hymn titled, “What is This Bread?” for a communion service at their church in Tucson, AZ.

“Much to our surprise, it became very popular,” Fred said.

The hymn was first published in the 1998 Hymnal Supplement and later added to the “Lutheran Service Book,” a hymnal used by Lutheran congregations around the world.

Fred said, “I was in the Dominican Republic in January and I found out that this little hymn we wrote has become quite popular in Latin America.”

Ranch connections

Growing up in The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, Fred said he had always been familiar with Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch and the annual Honey Sunday the Ranch held at his church. It wasn’t until one of his and Jean’s three children needed help that he understood the life-changing impact of the Ranch.

“Our son, Mike, is autistic and as a teenager he started acting out quite a bit,” Fred said. “We were desperate for help and the Ranch helped enormously. After his time at the Ranch, Mike was a lot calmer and a little more gathered together. That is the main thing I noticed, and that’s still there. Mike has his ups and downs, but don’t we all. He is an asset to the community and has a good Christian faith.”

“It’s not an exaggeration to say that the changes in Mike during his time with the Ranch were like night and day,” Jean said. “He wasn’t constantly tied up in knots. He could find out about the world around him and not feel like he was constantly under pressure.”

At age 38, Mike lives in his own apartment and has a great group of friends. He worked several years in the fast-food industry and was good at it.

“I was worried about customer engagement,” Jean said, “but he ended up having customers that came regularly and looked forward to seeing him. We didn’t think he would thrive in that rapid fire environment, but he did. I think that is a big indication of how the Ranch helped get him started and keep going in his adjustment to society.”

Mike recently reached out to a local agency that specializes in providing services to adults with autism.

Fred said, “He initiated contact with the job search department and has been meeting with a job coach to develop his resume and look for work. He is a big, strong man and likes physical work, so he has some good things going with that agency.”

Supporting the Lord’s work

Born in San Antonio, TX, Jean grew up in an Air Force family, moving every 2-3 years.

“Giving was definitely modeled in my home,” Jean said. “It started with weekly giving at church. In addition to financial contributions, they did charitable work. My mother volunteered with the Red Cross and the Girls Scouts. The Air Force kept my dad pretty busy as a pilot, but when he retired, he became involved in supporting charities in some way or another.”

Fred’s family was very intentional in teaching him the importance of generosity.

“When I was a boy, my mother sat me down and said in a very simple manner, ‘Your father is very generous with the church.’ That made an impression on me and I’ve never forgotten it. He was a model to me for supporting the work of the Lord. He was also active in the community, and his work as a funeral director was a public service in itself.”

Both families modeled generosity in service, and when Fred and Jean were able to help out, they put Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch on their list of regular giving.

“We are forever grateful to the Ranch for turning Mike’s life around,” Jean said, “and glad to donate here and there as best as we can.”

In “retirement”

In their so-called “retirement,” Fred and Jean enjoy eating out, watching old movies, discussing everything under the sun, and exploring their shared interests in music, art, and theater.

Jean also loved to read, sing in the church choir, and get together with friends. Fred stays busy writing, playing in coffee houses, and doing on-call ministerial work.

They plan to support the Ranch as long as they are able, not only because of the impact the Ranch had on their own family, but because of its professionalism and Christian foundation.

“I’m grateful to support the Ranch because of the values it upholds,” Fred said. “in addition to the spiritual component, the Ranch’s professional treatment programs are first class. I would encourage anyone who knows of a boy or girl that needs professional help to check out the Ranch and become a generous supporter!”