Former TFP writer Jeremy Baumhower is memorialized by daughter MacKenzie
It has been five years since June 7, 2019. That’s when my world came crashing down around me. My dad, Jeremy Baumhower, lost his battle with influenza. It was a long four months from the beginning of his sickness to the end, and I can still feel the incredibly heavy weight of it today.
My dad described himself as a “father. Writer. Dreamer. Toledoan.” In the 25 years I knew him, I cannot think of a better or more true description. My dad loved being a dad. He lived a life full of baseball, basketball and soccer games, endless bouts of laughter at his own jokes, homemade spaghetti sauce and Toledo pride.
I have many great memories of him, but one of my favorites has got to be watching the 2018 Winter Olympics. We planted ourselves on the couch and decided we suddenly loved curling. We figured out the rules of the game and that we really liked the couples from the USA and South Korean women’s teams. We both laughed until we had tears in our eyes from our own ridiculous commentary.
My dad was and always will be Toledo’s biggest fan. He believed in Toledo and, most
importantly, the people in it. His love of our community was contagious and there wasn’t a
singular trip to Kroger without someone stopping him to talk. He, of course, would talk to
everyone who came up to him, no matter if he remembered who they were or not. He was the biggest and loudest social butterfly. Since his passing, Toledo has been through a lot, and I have so missed his commentary about this beloved community.
I think I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my dad’s love for all things Toledo Mud Hens (and the Detroit Tigers), The Old West End Festival and Project IAm, specifically their event
Acoustics for Autism. He could always be found at the Old West End festival and at every
Acoustics for Autism, which he proclaimed is “the best day in NW Ohio.”
He could also be found in the Village Idiot in Maumee with a slice of pizza and a Yuengling. My dad wrote passionately about how Project IAm helped our family and how there aren’t many nonprofits like it. He also loved the musicians who play and support the now larger-than-life event, and he predicted early on that Conant St. would need to close down in order to support the always-crowded event.
In my opinion the greatest gift my dad was given, besides my siblings and I, were the gift of words. My dad claimed he was not a writer but his ability to perfectly capture the hearts of thousands would say differently. He wrote his first article for the Toledo Free Press in March 2012, when his passion for writing emerged.
Over the years he wrote many articles with many different topics that ranged from Toledo’s
worst winters, to specific community members showcasing their big hearts, to our own family, and to his dentist-finding endeavors.
The Toledo Free Press gave him a platform to share Toledo’s greatest hits and gave him a chance to be vulnerable. My dad was controversial to some but well-intentioned and good-hearted to most. From this paper he was able to open up more than I had ever seen him, and he was able to share his life with the readers. When he wasn’t writing about the pride he had for his favorite city, he shared his struggles with marriage, being a father and being human.
He would be so happy to see the Toledo Free Press making a well-deserved come back, and I’m willing to bet that if he were here today his article would be front and center with the highest praise and adoration. He loved the office above The Blarney Irish Pub in Downtown Toledo and would be more than elated it will be in use there once again.
One of my favorite articles he wrote was Toledo is Better with a Free Press. In the article, he describes how the Toledo Free Press helped him find his voice in the world and gave him a sense of belonging. He describes how he was able to make the transition from working for over a decade in radio to writing.
He discussed the ways in which this paper is extremely beneficial for the city by writing:
“TFP dedicates its ink to news without a hidden agenda while highlighting the heart of a city learning how to walk again. It provides a vehicle and voice for many previously unrepresented communities and people dreaming of change. It’s helped champion the ‘You Will Do Better in Toledo’ campaign, which now welcomes all those who visit the Glass City.”
“TFP dedicates its ink to news without a hidden agenda while highlighting the heart of a city learning how to walk again. It provides a vehicle and voice for many previously unrepresented communities and people dreaming of change. It’s helped champion the ‘You Will Do Better in Toledo’ campaign, which now welcomes all those who visit the Glass City.”
While my journey with grief has been far from easy, I am thankful every day that my dad’s
words are immortalized by the Toledo Free Press. I am forever grateful that I can read his words and that generations to come will be able to, as well. I will never be able to fully put into words how thankful I am that we live in a community as welcoming and supportive as Toledo. Grief is not easy, but it gets easier with every story shared of my dad and every laugh (or eyebrow raise) that inevitably follows.
I am excited to see what journey the Toledo Free Press will be on next, and I am honored to be a tiny part of this come back. I miss him every day and I hope to always keep his legacy alive.
