Che L. Baysinger

Che L. Baysinger, 70, of Unadilla died at home in hospice care on September 27, 2022, of Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS), a bone marrow disorder.

She was born on October 10, 1951 to Flora and Milford Baysinger of Coldwater, Michigan. She is survived by her wife of 36 years, Susan E. Woerner, Unadilla, along with their dog Polly and four cats, Jones, FaeFae, Olive and Mia. She is also survived by a brother, Douglas Baysinger Sr., nephews, Douglas Baysinger, Jr., Charles Baysinger, Heinrich Baysinger, and a niece, Laura Baysinger Syrewicz.

Che was a mermaid stuck on land. She loved water, particularly the ocean and would look for any opportunity to sit in the sun, gazing at the waves rolling to shore. Some of her favorite places were the Florida Keys, Cape Cod/Provincetown, and Fire Island, NY. But her heart was in Puerto Rico, where she spent several Februaries along its beautiful beaches, watching windsurfers and drinking mango smoothies. At night, she’d fall asleep to Coqui frogs singing lullabies. When Susan would come to visit, they would take trips into the interior of the island or to Vieques, always finding interesting places to be.

She worked on social justice issues for most of her life, particularly championing women’s rights and LGBTQIA rights, often marching and protesting for equality. She was an advocate for Marriage Equality. She and Susan were Tristed in the mid-1980’s; had a Civil Union recognized by the City of New York; and later were married in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.

Che cut her own path through life, against hardship and prejudice, against what others believed to be the odds against her. She was a model of determination putting herself through college, becoming an alumnus of Michigan State University. She did the same for attaining a Ph.D. from Rutgers University and afterward, becoming a professor of Communication Studies within the State University of New York higher education system. She exemplified self-determination too - given a prognosis for her condition of nine to twelve months, Che was determined to live beyond that and did so for nearly eighteen months. At the end, she held on to life until her childhood friend, Debbie, traveled from Michigan to be with her and Susan.

She will be missed by her wife, her sister-friends, her family, and will always be their beloved mermaid on land.

A Celebration of Life gathering will be held at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Oneonta (in the Chapin Memorial Sanctuary), Oneonta, NY, on Saturday, October 29, 2022 at 3 pm.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making an In Memoriam donation to Helios Care (a 501c3 hospice organization). Helios Care, 297 River Street Service Road, Suite 1, Oneonta, NY 13820. https://helioscare.org/donate.

Online condolences may be made at:    www.wmaddenfh.com.  Arrangements by the Westcott-Madden Funeral Home 123 Main Street Unadilla.   A MADDEN FAMILY FUNERAL HOME.

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