John A. Baldwin

PORTAGE/MADISON - John Allan Baldwin, age 75, passed away at Aspirus Divine Savior Hospital on May 10, 2026, after a twelve-month struggle with glioblastoma.

John was born on April 20, 1951, to James and Josephine (Provenzano) Baldwin. He graduated from Madison East High School in 1969 and continued his education, receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management from Milton College and several health and safety accreditations from Texas A&M University.

John dedicated his life to serving others. In 1971, John was drafted into the U.S. Army and served one tour in Vietnam. After returning to the United States, he joined the Army National Guard. He served in the Army National Guard and worked as a federal civil servant with the U.S. Department of Military Affairs for 35 years, retiring at the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 4. One of his early career assignments was working in the aviation company. John loved helicopters and served as crew chief for UH-1s (Hueys) in the 147th aviation company. One of his early volunteer missions involved working with Operation Friend in the Sky, which flew emergency medical personnel to crash sites on Wisconsin highways during holiday weekends and provided medical evacuation to injured civilians. At the end of his military career, John worked as the State Safety and Occupational Health Officer, where he ensured workplace safety, investigated accidents, and provided safety training and education for the Army throughout the State of Wisconsin. Throughout his career, John mentored many newly enlisted personnel, and he continued to support the military and veterans’ communities through volunteer work after his retirement.

John served as a representative on the Wisconsin Area Military Retiree Council, which serves as a voice for the Army retiree community and helps support the activities of the Retiree Activities Office. He also regularly volunteered with the DAV by providing free rides to veterans who needed help getting to their VA medical appointments. John was an active member of VFW Post 1707, American Legion Post 47, in Portage, and volunteered on the Portage American Legion Honor Guard.

John spent over 20 years officiating football games as a side judge. He started out officiating junior high school games in the 1970s and moved on to working at high school and NCAA Division 3 college games in the 1980s and 1990s. He was honored to be selected to work in the state high school football championship in 1997 and several spring scrimmages for the Wisconsin Badgers. John said to “live your life like you referee a football game. Know the rules, be fair, be consistent, and realize that not everyone plays by the rules.”

John also officiated high school cross-country and track and field meets, and was himself a runner in his youth, setting an individual Madison East record and participating in the state championship tournament several times in the relay event. John’s coach described him as “the fastest runner with the shortest legs” he had ever seen.

John also met the love of his life, Dorothy, while in high school. They married in 1971 and were lucky to have 54 happy years together. As John said in a military retirement farewell message: “You can’t ask for more than to be married to your best friend.”

Although John’s greatest love was his family, this was closely followed by his passion for golf. He started golfing at the age of 12 when he got a job working as a caddie at Maple Bluff Country Club in Madison. He golfed several times a week, and when he wasn’t golfing, he was probably watching golf or reading about it.

During the “off season” John spent 40 years curling at the Portage, Pardeeville, and Poynette Curling Clubs. John also introduced his daughter, Lindsey, to curling and loved playing in leagues with her while she was in junior high and high school.

John was an avid traveler, visiting six continents with Dorothy and other family and friends. He loved annual vacations with his extended family to Disney World, and he always managed to sneak in a round (or more) of golf. John and Dorothy were members of Friendship Force International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving intercultural relations and cultural diplomacy through homestays. They traveled with friends in the Madison club and made new friends around the world, including in Cuba, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Canada, and England. John and Dorothy also loved taking river cruises, although John was generally happy to go anywhere with warm weather.

John also enjoyed taking road trips in his convertible, and he was always ready to “drop the top” and hit the road. He and Dorothy enjoyed many weekends in the Midwest, but also took longer trips to Florida, along the east coast, and to the Canadian maritime provinces. John’s favorite trip involved driving his Miata along Route 66 from Illinois to California, following the old (pre-interstate) route as closely as possible, and discovering many small towns, hidden gems, and interesting people along the way.

Thursday nights would find John with his close friends and family playing his baritone with the Dual County Community Band and grabbing a post-concert burger and Diet Coke with friends and family.

John is survived by his wife of 54 years, Dorothy Baldwin; daughter, Lindsey Baldwin; brother, Joseph (Jane) Baldwin; sister, Janet (Jerry) Metzger; sister-in-law, brother-in-law, close friends, and bandmates Kim and Bruce Hutzler; as well as nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great nephews. He was preceded in death in by his parents; brother, Jimmy Baldwin; and son, Scott Baldwin.

The family would like to extend their sincere gratitude to: the UW Health University Hospital nursing staff; Andy Land and the palliative care team at UW Health University Hospital; Radiation Oncologist, Dr. Brett Morris, and Neuro-Oncology Nurse Navigator Scott Vandenberg at UW Health, the nursing staff at Aspirus Divine Savior Healthcare; and his home hospice care team from Moments Hospice, Tina, Kayla, and Danielle.

A memorial gathering, with military honors, will be held for friends and family on June 28, 2026, at the VFW Hall, 215 W. Collins St., Portage. There will be a brief memorial service at 1:00 p.m. with military honors at 1:30 p.m. Following the service, the family would like to invite everyone to share memories, food and drinks until 4:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in John’s memory may be made to Fisher House Wisconsin to support the creation of a new Fisher House in Madison. Donations may be made online at fisherhousewi.org.

Pflanz Mendrala Funeral Home, in Portage, is assisting the family.