Barbara Jean Baker

Mrs. Barbara Jean Baker passed away at age 85 August 29, 2021 in Port Angeles, Washington. She was born in Chicago, Illinois on June 8, 1936 to Casimir John Gorecki and Jean Ann Gorecki (Lewandowski). Barbara was raised in Chicago, Illinois graduated from Lourdes High School and attended Northwestern University receiving a Bachelor of Science minoring in Astronomy and Mathematics, the first of her family to get a college education. While at Northwestern, she met her future husband, Robert “Bob” Baker on a blind date. Though he was from Chicago at the time he was studying at Trinity College in Connecticut. Barbara graduated and is seen in photos with her future father-in-law Robert Baker, Sr. who served as Dean of the Graduate School at Northwestern. She married Robert Baker on August 18, 1957 and celebrated 61 years of marriage. She and Bob had three children: Robert Henry Baker, III, Margaret Mary Baker and Elizabeth Jean (Baker) Stoyanovich. She moved from Chicago to Bloomington, IN, Madison, WI and lived for many years in Kalamazoo, MI before locating finally in Port Angeles, WA.

Carol served as a Girl Scout leader for a decade and eventually as President of the Girl Scout Council of Kalamazoo. She volunteered to serve on the Portage Public School Board. Carol sang in many choir groups in Kalamazoo including the Bach Festival Society and the Cathedral Church Christ the King. She enjoyed playing golf and platform tennis and was a member of the Kalamazoo Elks Club. Carol loved to entertain, and cook/bake for anyone that would eat (particularly her husband) and make candy and cookies at Christmas. She was also an expert seamstress, enjoyed needlepoint, knitting and embroidery and taught all of her children how to play piano. She enjoyed watching the Cubs and going to musical performances by her daughters, son-in-law, grand-daughters and son. She traveled with her husband to England and Scotland and with her family in August 2017, as part of their 60th wedding anniversary, to Salem, Oregon to witness the spectacular Total Solar Eclipse. Barbara was also a Master Gardner and loved encouraging beauty in her gardens.

Carol will be loved and missed by her extended family including son Robert III, daughter Elizabeth, son-in-law Patrick, granddaughters Antonia and Sophia, brother-in-law Peter and brother Michael.

A Memorial Remembrance will be held on Zoom in the future: please contact Elizabeth Stoyanovich for more information ejstoyanovich@icloud.com. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra which she supported for many years.

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