CARBONDALE — Dr. Robert “Todd” Baysinger, 95, died peacefully, in the early morning of Sept. 29, 2019, in Memorial Hospital in Carbondale, while his family kept vigil.
Todd was born Oct. 21, 1923, in Centralia, to Ralph Waldo and Mary Marguerite George Baysinger. The family relocated to Carbondale, and Todd graduated from Carbondale Community High School in 1941.
He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was stationed in the Aleutian Islands.
Upon his discharge from the Navy, Todd entered Southern Illinois University and graduated in 1948. He graduated from the University of Illinois School of Medicine in Chicago, in 1952. After an internship in Indianapolis, he returned to Carbondale and went into general practice at the Carbondale Clinic and Doctor’s Hospital.
Todd was a respected member of the old guard of physicians who built the foundation for the medical community in Carbondale. He spent most of his practice as an obstetrician and delivered thousands of babies. He finished his practice at the VA Hospital in Marion, as the Director of Outpatient Services. He retired in 1989.
Todd loved playing golf and was an avid sports (any sports) fan; a legacy to his four daughters. He loved music and playing cards, and was a long time member of the Jackson Country Club and the Elks.
He married Patricia Lewis Rose on June 26, 1949. They just observed their 70th anniversary. She survives him, as do his four daughters and their families: Robin (Dan Siegfried), Sam (Jessica) and Hannah; Sarah (Francis Schmit), Sydney (Hunter), Ian, and Evan; Jane (Patrick McGarry), Gage (Alicia), and Matthew (Brittney); and Mary, Emily (Nick), Caitlin (Daryl), and Colin; and his great-grandsons Kai, Miles, Ethan, and Asher.
In deference to Todd’s wishes, there will be no visitation or services.
Memorial donations may be made to: SIH Foundation, 1239 E. Main St., P.O. Box 3988, Carbondale, IL 62902-3988 or www. SIH.net/foundation, in memory of Robert P. Baysinger.
In the words of the family, “We will miss his terrific sense of humor, and his uncanny ability to catch a glass of milk, mid-tip, while never missing a bite of his meal. He did, indeed, have a wonderful life.”
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