David Lape Baldwin was born on July 23, 1958 in Mount Holly, New Jersey – the son of Bob and Donna Lape Baldwin. David's father was serving as a captain in the U.S Army and stationed at nearby Fort Dix. Bob and Donna had seven children that were born on military bases but after 1964 raised them at their home on Robert Road that was built near the Baldwin Hills South community in Crownsville, Maryland (close to their parish - Our Lady of the Fields Catholic Church of Millersville). David attended public school from this home. He graduated from Anne Arundel High School in 1976. Independent and ahead of his time as a teenager, he came out at a young age as a gay man. David studied sociology at Frostburg State College in Western Maryland and graduated in 1980. From there he rented a small apartment in Annapolis and began his career in retail books work at a small store there for a few years. David then moved to Washington, DC first renting an apartment in the neighborhood of DuPont Circle for a year and then moved to Capitol Hill where he worked as a manager at Trover Bookstore with clients like Pete Wilson, Sandra Day O'Connor, John McCain and Ted Kennedy. David managed both the bookstore and the gift shop next door as the business expanded. David lived in the same apartment building for ten years eventually moving to a larger unit. There he had memorable roommates like John Copozzi and later Kate McMains with whom he always remained in touch over the years. David was extremely popular for throwing large parties and sometimes those Capitol Hill parties were even attended by his Republican Party parents. David really liked to drink and smoke cigarettes.
David met Sam Baca on a cruise to the Amazon of Peru in July 1989. (They were assigned to each other as roommates on an exclusive gay men's cruise). Sam lived in California and had lost his previous partner to AIDS complications. Sam worked Northwest Orient Airlines that enabled him to return and visit David in DC many times that year. They fell in love and dreamed of traveling the world together. Sam met the rest of the Baldwin family at the annual Christmas party in 1989. In April 1990, David moved to San Francisco to live with Sam in his condo in the Diamond Heights neighborhood there. While Sam changed his ticketing and information jobs with other airlines like Reno and United, David worked as a manager of Stacy's Bookstore in San Francisco. Using his keen networking skills, he was successful in securing Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Garry Trudeau of the Doonesbury comic strip for a book signing there. The California bookstore staff were stunned when Mr. Trudeau looked at David and remembered him from a Capitol Hill book signing years before. Later David and Sam went looking to find a more permanent place to live. They bought a 1904 Victorian house in the Noe Valley neighborhood with two lesbian friends – Michelle and Cleva in 1992. The foursome took trips together to Australia and Egypt. They sold the house in 1996 when the couples were no longer getting along.
Sam had grown up in Bassett, California near Alta Loma/Rancho Cucamonga in Southern California's Inland Empire of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. Sam's parents built a cabin in the resort San Bernardino mountain village of Big Bear in the 1970s and in 1996 sold it to them. David and Sam went there to live in the cabin. Despite Big Bear being a conservative enclave of Los Angeles, it was a convenient move for them. Sam gave up his airline career and managed many of the resort hotels in Big Bear. He created his own reservation service business for a time. David and Sam lived in Big Bear for the next 18 years with their pet cats. Over the years they expanded the size of the cabin with the addition of an extra bedroom and bathroom and a two-car garage. David worked as a seasonal ticket vendor at the Bear Mountain Ski Resort a few years and then a fulltime job as a Big Bear Lake retail property manager for a collection of shops in the village for the next 10 years. David and Sam were members of the community Sunset Lions Club. In 2006, David became a store manager for a Party For Less retail store for the next 8 years. David had played the piano his whole life and would enjoy playing the piano at the Big Bear cabin or wherever he could find a piano to play. He was an avid book reader. His stream of consciousness letters and later email (when technology forced him begrudgingly to give up some of his old school ways) kept him connected to his large family and friends all over. His young nieces and nephews in Maryland loved to hear from Uncle David. He always kept up with everything that was going on with his large extended family back East.
In the summer of 2008, David celebrated his 50th birthday and his parents and brothers and sister and family flew out from Maryland to help them celebrate at Big Bear. Through his genealogical research, David's father collaborated with a fourth cousin through the Deutsch/Baldwin ancestors named Bill Horten - who lived with his gay partner Eric nearby in San Diego. Bill and Eric joined the Baldwin family reunion and Bill remained close to David and Sam for many years to come.
By 2010, the tourism industry in Big Bear was declining due to the Great Recession. Sam started looking for jobs away from the mountain. In 2015, Sam returned to the airline industry after being hired by U.S. Airways which was then bought by American Airlines. David and Sam then moved to Tempe, Arizona with this new job. They rented an apartment and would occasionally return to visit the Big Bear cabin which they still owned. In 2016, David and Sam were legally married after the Supreme Court of the United State ruled the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples in the Obergefell v. Hodges case the year before. After 2 ½ years in Arizona, Sam transferred his job with American to Los Angles (LAX). David had been having seizures since 2012 but doctors were never able to diagnose the cause. After David had about 30 seizures and he was put on medication which for the most part regulated that condition. He did not work because of his health issues and was able to obtain the state Medi-CAL coverage (the equivalent of Medicare in California) David did continue to keep busy volunteering to work at public libraries and thrift stores over the years.
In June 2017, Sam transferred back to Los Angeles and David and Sam rented an apartment in the seaside town of Hermosa Beach. A year later they moved to the Los Angles community of San Pedro. David discovered he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer just before Christmas 2020 and his health rapidly declined in the hospital. David Baldwin died on January 11, 2021 at age 62. David and Sam were together for over 31 years.
David met Sam Baca on a cruise to the Amazon of Peru in July 1989. (They were assigned to each other as roommates on an exclusive gay men's cruise). Sam lived in California and had lost his previous partner to AIDS complications. Sam worked Northwest Orient Airlines that enabled him to return and visit David in DC many times that year. They fell in love and dreamed of traveling the world together. Sam met the rest of the Baldwin family at the annual Christmas party in 1989. In April 1990, David moved to San Francisco to live with Sam in his condo in the Diamond Heights neighborhood there. While Sam changed his ticketing and information jobs with other airlines like Reno and United, David worked as a manager of Stacy's Bookstore in San Francisco. Using his keen networking skills, he was successful in securing Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Garry Trudeau of the Doonesbury comic strip for a book signing there. The California bookstore staff were stunned when Mr. Trudeau looked at David and remembered him from a Capitol Hill book signing years before. Later David and Sam went looking to find a more permanent place to live. They bought a 1904 Victorian house in the Noe Valley neighborhood with two lesbian friends – Michelle and Cleva in 1992. The foursome took trips together to Australia and Egypt. They sold the house in 1996 when the couples were no longer getting along.
Sam had grown up in Bassett, California near Alta Loma/Rancho Cucamonga in Southern California's Inland Empire of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. Sam's parents built a cabin in the resort San Bernardino mountain village of Big Bear in the 1970s and in 1996 sold it to them. David and Sam went there to live in the cabin. Despite Big Bear being a conservative enclave of Los Angeles, it was a convenient move for them. Sam gave up his airline career and managed many of the resort hotels in Big Bear. He created his own reservation service business for a time. David and Sam lived in Big Bear for the next 18 years with their pet cats. Over the years they expanded the size of the cabin with the addition of an extra bedroom and bathroom and a two-car garage. David worked as a seasonal ticket vendor at the Bear Mountain Ski Resort a few years and then a fulltime job as a Big Bear Lake retail property manager for a collection of shops in the village for the next 10 years. David and Sam were members of the community Sunset Lions Club. In 2006, David became a store manager for a Party For Less retail store for the next 8 years. David had played the piano his whole life and would enjoy playing the piano at the Big Bear cabin or wherever he could find a piano to play. He was an avid book reader. His stream of consciousness letters and later email (when technology forced him begrudgingly to give up some of his old school ways) kept him connected to his large family and friends all over. His young nieces and nephews in Maryland loved to hear from Uncle David. He always kept up with everything that was going on with his large extended family back East.
In the summer of 2008, David celebrated his 50th birthday and his parents and brothers and sister and family flew out from Maryland to help them celebrate at Big Bear. Through his genealogical research, David's father collaborated with a fourth cousin through the Deutsch/Baldwin ancestors named Bill Horten - who lived with his gay partner Eric nearby in San Diego. Bill and Eric joined the Baldwin family reunion and Bill remained close to David and Sam for many years to come.
By 2010, the tourism industry in Big Bear was declining due to the Great Recession. Sam started looking for jobs away from the mountain. In 2015, Sam returned to the airline industry after being hired by U.S. Airways which was then bought by American Airlines. David and Sam then moved to Tempe, Arizona with this new job. They rented an apartment and would occasionally return to visit the Big Bear cabin which they still owned. In 2016, David and Sam were legally married after the Supreme Court of the United State ruled the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples in the Obergefell v. Hodges case the year before. After 2 ½ years in Arizona, Sam transferred his job with American to Los Angles (LAX). David had been having seizures since 2012 but doctors were never able to diagnose the cause. After David had about 30 seizures and he was put on medication which for the most part regulated that condition. He did not work because of his health issues and was able to obtain the state Medi-CAL coverage (the equivalent of Medicare in California) David did continue to keep busy volunteering to work at public libraries and thrift stores over the years.
In June 2017, Sam transferred back to Los Angeles and David and Sam rented an apartment in the seaside town of Hermosa Beach. A year later they moved to the Los Angles community of San Pedro. David discovered he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer just before Christmas 2020 and his health rapidly declined in the hospital. David Baldwin died on January 11, 2021 at age 62. David and Sam were together for over 31 years.
David Lape Baldwin was born on July 23, 1958 in Mount Holly, New Jersey – the son of Bob and Donna Lape Baldwin. David's father was serving as a captain in the U.S Army and stationed at nearby Fort Dix. Bob and Donna had seven children that were born on military bases but after 1964 raised them at their home on Robert Road that was built near the Baldwin Hills South community in Crownsville, Maryland (close to their parish - Our Lady of the Fields Catholic Church of Millersville). David attended public school from this home. He graduated from Anne Arundel High School in 1976. Independent and ahead of his time as a teenager, he came out at a young age as a gay man. David studied sociology at Frostburg State College in Western Maryland and graduated in 1980. From there he rented a small apartment in Annapolis and began his career in retail books work at a small store there for a few years. David then moved to Washington, DC first renting an apartment in the neighborhood of DuPont Circle for a year and then moved to Capitol Hill where he worked as a manager at Trover Bookstore with clients like Pete Wilson, Sandra Day O'Connor, John McCain and Ted Kennedy. David managed both the bookstore and the gift shop next door as the business expanded. David lived in the same apartment building for ten years eventually moving to a larger unit. There he had memorable roommates like John Copozzi and later Kate McMains with whom he always remained in touch over the years. David was extremely popular for throwing large parties and sometimes those Capitol Hill parties were even attended by his Republican Party parents. David really liked to drink and smoke cigarettes.
David met Sam Baca on a cruise to the Amazon of Peru in July 1989. (They were assigned to each other as roommates on an exclusive gay men's cruise). Sam lived in California and had lost his previous partner to AIDS complications. Sam worked Northwest Orient Airlines that enabled him to return and visit David in DC many times that year. They fell in love and dreamed of traveling the world together. Sam met the rest of the Baldwin family at the annual Christmas party in 1989. In April 1990, David moved to San Francisco to live with Sam in his condo in the Diamond Heights neighborhood there. While Sam changed his ticketing and information jobs with other airlines like Reno and United, David worked as a manager of Stacy's Bookstore in San Francisco. Using his keen networking skills, he was successful in securing Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Garry Trudeau of the Doonesbury comic strip for a book signing there. The California bookstore staff were stunned when Mr. Trudeau looked at David and remembered him from a Capitol Hill book signing years before. Later David and Sam went looking to find a more permanent place to live. They bought a 1904 Victorian house in the Noe Valley neighborhood with two lesbian friends – Michelle and Cleva in 1992. The foursome took trips together to Australia and Egypt. They sold the house in 1996 when the couples were no longer getting along.
Sam had grown up in Bassett, California near Alta Loma/Rancho Cucamonga in Southern California's Inland Empire of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. Sam's parents built a cabin in the resort San Bernardino mountain village of Big Bear in the 1970s and in 1996 sold it to them. David and Sam went there to live in the cabin. Despite Big Bear being a conservative enclave of Los Angeles, it was a convenient move for them. Sam gave up his airline career and managed many of the resort hotels in Big Bear. He created his own reservation service business for a time. David and Sam lived in Big Bear for the next 18 years with their pet cats. Over the years they expanded the size of the cabin with the addition of an extra bedroom and bathroom and a two-car garage. David worked as a seasonal ticket vendor at the Bear Mountain Ski Resort a few years and then a fulltime job as a Big Bear Lake retail property manager for a collection of shops in the village for the next 10 years. David and Sam were members of the community Sunset Lions Club. In 2006, David became a store manager for a Party For Less retail store for the next 8 years. David had played the piano his whole life and would enjoy playing the piano at the Big Bear cabin or wherever he could find a piano to play. He was an avid book reader. His stream of consciousness letters and later email (when technology forced him begrudgingly to give up some of his old school ways) kept him connected to his large family and friends all over. His young nieces and nephews in Maryland loved to hear from Uncle David. He always kept up with everything that was going on with his large extended family back East.
In the summer of 2008, David celebrated his 50th birthday and his parents and brothers and sister and family flew out from Maryland to help them celebrate at Big Bear. Through his genealogical research, David's father collaborated with a fourth cousin through the Deutsch/Baldwin ancestors named Bill Horten - who lived with his gay partner Eric nearby in San Diego. Bill and Eric joined the Baldwin family reunion and Bill remained close to David and Sam for many years to come.
By 2010, the tourism industry in Big Bear was declining due to the Great Recession. Sam started looking for jobs away from the mountain. In 2015, Sam returned to the airline industry after being hired by U.S. Airways which was then bought by American Airlines. David and Sam then moved to Tempe, Arizona with this new job. They rented an apartment and would occasionally return to visit the Big Bear cabin which they still owned. In 2016, David and Sam were legally married after the Supreme Court of the United State ruled the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples in the Obergefell v. Hodges case the year before. After 2 ½ years in Arizona, Sam transferred his job with American to Los Angles (LAX). David had been having seizures since 2012 but doctors were never able to diagnose the cause. After David had about 30 seizures and he was put on medication which for the most part regulated that condition. He did not work because of his health issues and was able to obtain the state Medi-CAL coverage (the equivalent of Medicare in California) David did continue to keep busy volunteering to work at public libraries and thrift stores over the years.
In June 2017, Sam transferred back to Los Angeles and David and Sam rented an apartment in the seaside town of Hermosa Beach. A year later they moved to the Los Angles community of San Pedro. David discovered he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer just before Christmas 2020 and his health rapidly declined in the hospital. David Baldwin died on January 11, 2021 at age 62. David and Sam were together for over 31 years.
David met Sam Baca on a cruise to the Amazon of Peru in July 1989. (They were assigned to each other as roommates on an exclusive gay men's cruise). Sam lived in California and had lost his previous partner to AIDS complications. Sam worked Northwest Orient Airlines that enabled him to return and visit David in DC many times that year. They fell in love and dreamed of traveling the world together. Sam met the rest of the Baldwin family at the annual Christmas party in 1989. In April 1990, David moved to San Francisco to live with Sam in his condo in the Diamond Heights neighborhood there. While Sam changed his ticketing and information jobs with other airlines like Reno and United, David worked as a manager of Stacy's Bookstore in San Francisco. Using his keen networking skills, he was successful in securing Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Garry Trudeau of the Doonesbury comic strip for a book signing there. The California bookstore staff were stunned when Mr. Trudeau looked at David and remembered him from a Capitol Hill book signing years before. Later David and Sam went looking to find a more permanent place to live. They bought a 1904 Victorian house in the Noe Valley neighborhood with two lesbian friends – Michelle and Cleva in 1992. The foursome took trips together to Australia and Egypt. They sold the house in 1996 when the couples were no longer getting along.
Sam had grown up in Bassett, California near Alta Loma/Rancho Cucamonga in Southern California's Inland Empire of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. Sam's parents built a cabin in the resort San Bernardino mountain village of Big Bear in the 1970s and in 1996 sold it to them. David and Sam went there to live in the cabin. Despite Big Bear being a conservative enclave of Los Angeles, it was a convenient move for them. Sam gave up his airline career and managed many of the resort hotels in Big Bear. He created his own reservation service business for a time. David and Sam lived in Big Bear for the next 18 years with their pet cats. Over the years they expanded the size of the cabin with the addition of an extra bedroom and bathroom and a two-car garage. David worked as a seasonal ticket vendor at the Bear Mountain Ski Resort a few years and then a fulltime job as a Big Bear Lake retail property manager for a collection of shops in the village for the next 10 years. David and Sam were members of the community Sunset Lions Club. In 2006, David became a store manager for a Party For Less retail store for the next 8 years. David had played the piano his whole life and would enjoy playing the piano at the Big Bear cabin or wherever he could find a piano to play. He was an avid book reader. His stream of consciousness letters and later email (when technology forced him begrudgingly to give up some of his old school ways) kept him connected to his large family and friends all over. His young nieces and nephews in Maryland loved to hear from Uncle David. He always kept up with everything that was going on with his large extended family back East.
In the summer of 2008, David celebrated his 50th birthday and his parents and brothers and sister and family flew out from Maryland to help them celebrate at Big Bear. Through his genealogical research, David's father collaborated with a fourth cousin through the Deutsch/Baldwin ancestors named Bill Horten - who lived with his gay partner Eric nearby in San Diego. Bill and Eric joined the Baldwin family reunion and Bill remained close to David and Sam for many years to come.
By 2010, the tourism industry in Big Bear was declining due to the Great Recession. Sam started looking for jobs away from the mountain. In 2015, Sam returned to the airline industry after being hired by U.S. Airways which was then bought by American Airlines. David and Sam then moved to Tempe, Arizona with this new job. They rented an apartment and would occasionally return to visit the Big Bear cabin which they still owned. In 2016, David and Sam were legally married after the Supreme Court of the United State ruled the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples in the Obergefell v. Hodges case the year before. After 2 ½ years in Arizona, Sam transferred his job with American to Los Angles (LAX). David had been having seizures since 2012 but doctors were never able to diagnose the cause. After David had about 30 seizures and he was put on medication which for the most part regulated that condition. He did not work because of his health issues and was able to obtain the state Medi-CAL coverage (the equivalent of Medicare in California) David did continue to keep busy volunteering to work at public libraries and thrift stores over the years.
In June 2017, Sam transferred back to Los Angeles and David and Sam rented an apartment in the seaside town of Hermosa Beach. A year later they moved to the Los Angles community of San Pedro. David discovered he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer just before Christmas 2020 and his health rapidly declined in the hospital. David Baldwin died on January 11, 2021 at age 62. David and Sam were together for over 31 years.
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