Julian Henry Baumann, Jr., known to all as Hank, was born in Fort Leavenworth, KS in February of 1943, and died in Wilmington, DE on January 30, 2023.
Hank spent his early childhood as an Army child, living in places around the world including Guam and Turkey before his family settled down on a farm in Greenville, South Carolina. He graduated from Clemson University in 1965 before earning his J.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1968 and his Masters in Tax Law from NYU in 1975.
Hank served in the Army’s JAG Corps from 1968 to 1974, serving in California, Korea, Germany, and Belgium. It was while stationed in Brussels that he met Karen Ann Hofmann of Flint, Michigan. The two married in 1973, settled in Delaware in 1975, and spent more than 50 years together.
Hank joined the law firm of Richards, Layton, and Finger in 1975, eventually becoming a partner and running the firm’s Tax Group. He became known as one of the most honorable lawyers in the state and was named to the list of Best Lawyers in America. Over the years, he served as Chairman of the Wilmington Tax Group, President of the Committee of 100, and on the Board of the Nemours Foundation.
More importantly, Hank was a kind and decent man and a loving husband, father, uncle, and grandfather. He was a voracious reader who loved Clemson sports, playing tennis and poker, and driving his Porsche. His friends note that he had an infectious giggle that would emerge from beneath his serious demeanor when he was particularly tickled by something. His children note that he was, delightfully, the world’s worst player of the board game Taboo. His nephews will always remember him “for teaching them about the finer things in life like octopus and basement cheese.”
Hank is survived by his wife Karen, his sister Sue, his children Allison and Andrew and their spouses Ben and Janet, and five grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Nemours Children’s Hospital (302-651-4828).
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