The oldest of four children, Baumeister’s childhood was reportedly normal. By the onset of adolescence, however, he began exhibiting antisocial behavior; acquaintances later recalled the young Baumeister playing with dead animals and urinating on a teacher’s deak. As a teenager, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia, but did not receive further psychiatric treatment. As an adult, he drifted through a series of jobs, marked by a strong work ethic, but also by more and increasingly bizarre behavior.
He married in 1971, a union that produced three children. He founded the Sav-a-Lot chain of discount stores in 1988, and quickly became an affluent, well-liked member of the community.