Martha West Baker

January 17, 1935 - October 29, 2024

Martha was born in Waskom, TX to Martha Mildred and Walter Maxwell West, Sr. on January

17, 1935. She lived in Houston, TX until she was three-years-old. Martha and her parents

moved to Dallas, TX where her brother Max and sister Myrna were born. The family moved

back to Houston when Martha was six-years-old.

Martha attended John H. Reagan High School in Houston Heights and graduated in 1953. She

was an officer of the Reagan Red Coats drill squad.

Martha attended University of Houston where she was a member of the Chi Omega sorority.

She then attended the University of Texas Austin before moving to Dallas.

Martha moved to Dallas, TX in 1955 and joined Braniff Airlines as a flight attendant. She flew

for Braniff until 1958.

Martha met Willard Baker, her future husband, in Dallas while working for Braniff and they were

married on September 6, 1958. Martha and Willard had three children, Glynna, Gregory, and

Clifton.

Martha enjoyed visiting her vacation homes in Rockport, TX and Breckenridge, CO, and she

and Willard traveled extensively throughout Europe, the Mediterranean, Asia, and Africa.

Martha was an inaugural member of the Dallas Arboretum Women’s Council, and she spent

countless volunteer hours helping create a world-class landmark. Martha and Willard endowed

the Fernwood Fold Garden at the Arboretum in honor of their parents.

Martha continued to reside in Dallas after Willard passed away and she enjoyed visiting with

family, friends, and neighbors and watching the birds, squirrels, and rabbits in her yard.

Martha attended the Presbyterian Church as a child and the Methodist Church as an adult. Her

family is comforted knowing that she is now in Jesus’ arms.

Clif- My greatest thoughts of mama are how she loved her family. Her sole delight and efforts

were centered around taking care of us kids and dad. She made breakfast for us every morning,

took us to any and all activities- girl scouts, boy scouts, indian guides, sports, any social

gatherings. She kept every school scrap from me that she could, and I have boxes to prove it!

Mom loved all my friends and enjoyed those special friendships through me and was lovingly

known to my friends as Ma Baker. I will miss her deeply, but my joy is that she’s in the arms of

Jesus in Heaven, and that’s the greatest gift of all. Love you Mama!

Glynna - Mama, you are a gentle soul. Never in a rush, always willing to listen, so easy to be

around. Our family was everything to you. You drove us across the universe to all of our

activities, sports, and doctor appointments. You were my Girl Scout troop leader and my travel

buddy on our “girls’ trip” to California.. You pretended to enjoy camping because you knew we

all liked it. You loved to dance–and you were good at it! You cooked us a hot breakfast every

morning and made the world’s best “Mama Baker’s chili.” You were Mic’s and Jaime’s special

“Mimi” and you welcomed Bert into our family as your third son. You poured your heart into

helping create the Dallas Arboretum and left a legacy that will outlive all of us. You were never

in the limelight, just always there as a steady guiding light. I miss you so much, but I know you

are in Paradise with your parents, Daddy, and Our Lord. I will love you always and forever!

Greg - To me, Mama was a loving and supportive mother; but, she was also much more. She

had quite the creative spirit. She had a natural talent for interior design and could mentally

redesign a room, garden or estate down to the last detail. I enjoyed helping her cook on

occasion because I learned so much about how to prepare great dishes by watching her. She

always cheered for her favorite teams -- the Texas Longhorns, Dallas Cowboys and Texas

Rangers. She especially loved baseball because her father had played the game professionally.

She enjoyed hosting parties, planning each affair down to the smallest detail. She loved

gatherings, whether planned or impromptu, entertaining an individual guest or three dozen at

the drop of a hat. She never seemed to be at a loss for how to make people feel welcome. She

had a lifelong love of plants. In my later years, I inherited her love of flora. She once visited my

sixth grade class as a volunteer. After she left, one of my classmates said, “Greg, your mother

is GORGEOUS!” It had never occurred to me that one’s mother could be gorgeous, but she

was -- both inside and out.

Martha is predeceased by her parents and her husband of 60 years, and is survived by her

sister Myrna West Fair, brother Max West, Jr., daughter Glynna Baker, sons Gregory Baker and

Clifton Baker, grandsons Mic Obleski and Jaime Obleski, son-in-law Bert Obleski, numerous

nieces and nephews, and many wonderful friends.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Dallas Arboretum,

https://www.dallasarboretum.org/support/donate/tributes-program/.