Loreta L Baum

Loreta (Povilaitis) Baum, 78, of Grand Island died July 11, 2021 at Good Samaritan Society-Perkins in Hastings, just shy of her 79th birthday July 17. Funeral Services will be July 30, 2021 at 11:00 at Apfel Funeral Home in Grand Island with Reverend Nelson Rossi officiating. Interment will be at Grand Island City Cemetery in a private family gathering. Memorials to family for future designation.



Loreta was born on July 17, 1942 in Kaunas, Lithuania. In 1944 Loreta fled Lithuania with her family to escape the Soviet Union occupation. The family made its way to Germany and stayed there until 1949 when they were sponsored by Saint Leonard Catholic Church in Madison, NE and moved to the United States. After a short stay in Madison, NE the family relocated to Omaha where there was a growing and thriving Lithuanian community in South Omaha. She attended grade school at Saint Anthony’s Catholic Parish where she enjoyed music and singing in the Lithuanian choir. This was followed by high school at Notre Dame Academy where she graduated in 1961.



Loreta was married in 1965 to Norman Baum with whom she had 3 boys – Chris, David, and Andy. In 2004 she entered into a Spiritual Union with Jay Engle. She was a homemaker and worked at the Saint Francis Hospital - Food Services in Grand Island.



She has lived in Kaunas, Lithuania and near Munich in Germany, as well as in Madison, Omaha, Oakland and Grand Island, all in Nebraska.

She was a member of the Saint Anthony’s Catholic Parish in Omaha, the United Congregational Church in Grand Island, and later joined the Grand Island Seventh-Day Adventist Church.



She is survived by her spouse, Jay Engle of Grand Island; sons, Chris Baum of Lincoln, David and Andy Baum both of Grand Island; grandchildren, Jacob and Avery Baum; and brother, John Pavilaitis of Merrit Island, FL.



She was preceded in death by her father, Jonas Povilaitis; mother, Hedwig (Zitinevicius) Povilaitis and brother, Peter Povilaitis.