Winifred Catherine (Kapp) Baldys, 104, of South Williamsport, passed away peacefully on Friday, October 20, 2023 at The Williamsport Home.
Winnie was born to Grace (Lehman) Kapp and Amos G. Kapp, of Steelton, on April 24, 1919. She had eight sisters, Ruth (Koons), Naomi (Wilver), Ada (Lowe), Esther (Freeland), Geneva (Myers), June Kapp, Nancy (Tezak), and one brother, Lehman Kapp, all of whom predeceased her.
Winnie was raised in Steelton with her family. She graduated from Steelton High School and, at the urging of her sisters, attended Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, from which she graduated in 1941 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics.
After college Winnie returned to Steelton and worked in retail sales at Pomeroy’s Department Store in Harrisburg. In 1947, she married Warren Richard Baldys of Philadelphia. He preceded her in death in 1976. The couple had four boys, all of whom married; Warren R. Jr. (Mary Lou), Karl K. (Karen), Thomas E. (Marie), and James S. (Elizabeth). She is survived by them, their spouses, twelve grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.
Winnie taught fifth and sixth grade at the elementary school in Steelton for twenty-five years. Her favorite subject was mathematics. She enjoyed watching her students learn and grow. It seemed like she knew all the families in town and all of their children.
Throughout her lifetime Winnie loved sports. When young she was an outdoor girl. She ice-skated, skied, swam, and canoed on the Susquehanna River, and, in high school, she played field hockey. An iconic family black and white photo shows a teen Winnie standing in the snow, holding a pair of skis, wearing shorts and a blouse.
With great pride and enthusiasm Winnie religiously attended Steelton, and later, Steelton-Highspire, football and basketball games. She knew all the players, many of whom had been her students, and the win/loss records of the teams.
Winnie was devoted to her family, cared for her siblings as they aged, and celebrated holidays with her sons, their spouses, and children. She hosted an annual Thanksgiving dinner party for decades, ending in 2019, at the age of 100, when she delivered her last annual Thanksgiving toast. She was also a favorite of the children at Christmas.
Winnie was a long-time member of Centenary Evangelical United Brethren Church, now Centenary United Methodist Church, in Steelton. She moved to South Williamsport in 1992.
Winnie’s memorial will be at the convenience of her family as a celebration of her life.
Arrangements entrusted to Knight-Confer Funeral Home.
Online condolences may be made on Winnie’s obituary page at www.KnightConferFuneralHome.com.
