‘Great papa’ Melvin Baima joins the Brady twins on field at St. Bede

There was a very cool moment before the start of last week’s Homecoming game at St. Bede Academy.

St. Bede senior captains and twins John and Ryan Brady, were accompanied by their great grandfather, Melvin Baima, to present the game ball.

Baima, 100 years old, is a 1939 St. Bede graduate, and served in World War 2 with the Army.

Both boys were honored to share the moment with their great grandfather, whom they affectionately call “Great Papa.”

“It means a lot. He went to St. Bede. Just for him 100 years old being able to walk out and give the game ball for our senior season is pretty cool,” Ryan said. “It was a pretty proud moment for the family.”

“It was a pretty cool moment with someone from your family and how we all went to St. Bede and been through the same thing,” John said. “Coming back at his age and how many years he’s been graduated, it’s a pretty cool moment.”

Baima offered sage advice to the boys.

“He told me to go out and get them,” Ryan said.

“He gives a lot of advice. Just keep living life to the fullest,” John said.

Kerri Brady, the boys mother, said Melvin had a big smile on his face when she asked him if he wanted to do it and really enjoyed the moment.

“He said, ‘Why did they ask me?’ Because I’m the oldest?’ I said, ‘Probably,’” she said.

Kerri said her boys were really excited to share the moment with Great Papa, because they know it was “a once in a lifetime deal.”

John said he can only hope to make it to 100 years old and be able to do something like that with his great grandsons.

Great Papa certainly doesn’t act his age. He’s a pretty spry centurian, living by himself in a duplex in Peru and driving himself every where and going out for dinner every night, Kerri said.

He golfed most of his life and walked the course until he lost all of his friends.

Baima was stationed overseas with the Army in New Caledonia, the Phillipine Islands and Japan during World War 2. He served from September of 1942 through January of 1946, working on radio equipment, changing the frequency and transmitters so the Japanese couldn’t listen and decipher their codes.

John said his great grandfather has talked about serving in the war and how “it was a lot to be away from his family.”

• In closing, I want to express my deepest condolences to the Waca family of Princeton for the loss of their beloved mother and wife, Kathy. She was a dear friend of my wife and I, who stood up in our wedding and joked, “Are you sure you want someone old like me?”

She was a devoted fan to her three kids and their sports teams at PHS and the teams her husband Charlie’s teams and most recently enjoyed watching her grandkids come up in sports.

An ever loving grandmother, Kathy held on just long enough to be able to FaceTime with her newest grandson, Leland, born on the day she passed.

Kathy was a longtime fan of the Princeton Fastpitch Church League and it just won’t be the same without her watching the games in center field in her lawn chair next to Charlie. Now she’ll be our Angel in the Outfield.

Kevin Hieronymus has been the BCR Sports Editor since 1986. Contact him at khieronymus@bcrnews.com

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