Hannah Maxine Baldwin passed away on Nov 7, 2024, in Takoma Park Maryland, at the age of 78. The cause of death was congestive heart failure, which was a complication of her bone cancer from over 30 years ago.
Hannah was born in Stayton, near Salem, in Oregon. Her parents, Clarence Richard Baldwin, father, and June Helen (Sophy) Baldwin, mother, are both deceased. She is survived by her husband Felipe Tejeda; her daughter Malado Francine BaldwinTejeda; her son Francisco Richard Baldwin-Tejeda; two brothers, Daniel and Samuel; and several nieces and nephews. She leaves behind several adopted African sons, daughters, brothers and sisters in Senegal, Guinea, Mali, and Namibia, as well as African grandchildren some bearing her name.
Ms. Baldwin, with a Ph.D. (abd) from Indiana University’s Folklore Department, spent many years living and working world-wide as a development professional, focusing her time in Senegal, Mali, and Guinea as a USAID program director.
She served as a director of training for diplomats in francophone studies at the US Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute, and in Namibia as Peace Corps Director. Hannah met her husband Felipe in Senegal as Peace Corps Volunteers in 1969, and lived and worked there for 7 years, gaining a passionate love for her newfound friends.
She spoke French and Wolof well, loved mafe and yassa, and listened and danced to mbalax music. Hannah came from a family of creatives and continued throughout her life to add to her repertoire of artistic talents. She was primarily a print maker, ceramicist, and painter.
In lieu of flowers or gifts, we ask you to consider donating to a Senegal-based NGO, Tostan (Tostan.org), which works in West Africa and was dear to Hannah’s heart.
