100th birthday bash set for today for long-time Cape resident
A Cape Coral resident of more than 30 years will celebrate his 100th birthday today at Palmetto Pines Country Club with 250 people.
Schuler Baird Sr. was born on Nov. 12, 1911 in Clarksville, IN.
Baird said 25 of his family members will attend the birthday party from Indiana today to help him celebrate. The idea of the party stemmed from the guys he plays poker with.
He has four siblings, Clay Baird, 85; Carpy Baird, 91; Amy Jo Munich, 83 and Louise Short, 105.
He was married to Sarah for 55 years and then Jeri, after his first wife passed away, for 20 years. Jeri passed away this year.
Schuler has two sons, Phil and Randall, six grandchildren, 11 great grandchildren, one great, great grandchild with another on the way.
Since graduating from high school in 1929 he has led a very colorful life due to his service in World War II and the many business endeavors he took on in Indiana and Kentucky.
Baird served in the Battle of the Bulge in the medical corps where he took the wounded to hospitals in Paris.
Some of the businesses he has owned include Baird’s Drug Store, Eastern Bowling Lanes, Daisy Lanes Bowling Alley, along with a few drive in movie theaters.
He recently purchased a bowling alley he used to own in Indiana, the sale of which is expected to close in the very near future.
“It’s the one I used to own and sold and bought it back,” Baird said.
The Indiana native moved to Cape Coral in 1977 from Fort Lauderdale. He said he decided to take a drive to Cape Coral to see what the area was all about.
“I liked it, so I moved over,” Baird said.
At just shy of 100, he still drives around town and recently purchased a new vehicle for himself.