Charlton, MA: John Roice Baumhardt, a resident of the Overlook in Charlton, Massachusetts, died February 22, 2024.

He was born March 9, 1939, in Elyria, Ohio, to the late Mary Louise Roice Baumhardt and Milton John Baumhardt. He attended Lakewood High School and later earned both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He began his teaching career at Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, Illinois, and later moved to Glenbrook South High School, where he was a teacher of theater, speech, and English, and Director of Speech Activities. While at Glenbrook South, he met his wife Cathryn Koski and they married in 1966. In 1967, he began teaching at New Trier West High School in Northfield, Illinois, which later merged with New Trier East to form one high school in Winnetka, Illinois, where he remained for the next 27 years as a teacher of theater, Theater Director, Dean of Sophomore Boys, Chair of the Speech and Theater Department, and Director of Performing Arts.

Over his teaching career, he was active in many professional organizations and authored numerous articles about the teaching of theater and acting. He served as President of the Secondary School Theatre Association, worked on the board of the American Theatre Association, and was a delegate to the 1970 White House Conference on Children and Youth. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from New Trier High School and a Teacher Recognition Award from the National Foundation for Advancement of the Arts. He retired in 1995, and he and Cathryn moved to White Stone, Virginia, in 1998, where he served on the board of Lancaster Players and directed ten productions. He also served on the board of the Northern Neck Orchestra for ten years, producing the Community Concert Orchestra Series and serving as Stage Manager for their concerts. Additionally, John was on the board of the Rappahannock Foundation for the Arts and was a member of the White Stone-Irvington Rotary Club, where he was eventually named a Paul Harris Fellow. He also served as a lector and an usher at Grace Episcopal Church in Kilmarnock, Virginia.

John will be remembered as an avid reader and supporter of the arts, and he instilled both of these loves in his son and grandchildren. John was predeceased by his wife and is survived by his son, Mark Baumhardt and his wife Margaret McCarty of Wakefield, Massachusetts. He leaves two grandchildren, Zachariah and Alexandra Baumhardt.

John's ashes will be interred beside his beloved wife Cathy in a private ceremony at Grace Episcopal Church in Kilmarnock, Virginia, this summer. There are no calling hours.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to your local community theater.