Daniel R Baker

Daniel Richard Baker, 89, of Falls Church, VA, passed away on June 29 in Alexandria, VA. Dan was a self-styled cowboy who loved to make friends and tell corny jokes. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and dog lover.

Dan was born in Copenhagen, Denmark on March 19, 1932. He was adopted from a German orphanage in 1936 by Arthur and Molly Baker and raised by them in Brooklyn, NY. This extraordinary beginning right before the Holocaust may have saved his life. In recent years Dan’s family found and re-connected with the family of his birth parents. Though most of them did not even know of his existence, the Copenhagen family was exceedingly warm and welcoming and shed light on his background. The extended family has gone on to meet and celebrate holidays together.

Dan attended Tufts University and became a lifelong fan and donor and frequent attendee of reunions. He served in the Army during the Korean War, and then graduated from Brooklyn College with a BS in Mathematics and Biology. He married June Ellin Nebenzahl on October 2, 1960, after meeting at a computer class and they lived in Northern New Jersey until moving to Northern Virginia in 1964. Married 60 years, they have had homes in North Springfield and Fairfax Station, Virginia; Scottsdale, Arizona; and Falls Church, Virginia.

Dan worked as a high school math teacher, a computer programmer, and in the 1970s found his true calling as a real estate broker. He was passionate about real estate and this remained his profession until he retired in his late 70s. He was a member and served on multiple committees of the Northern Virginia Realtors Association, and was a member of the Million Dollar Club in real estate during numerous years throughout his career. Many of his clients went on to become not only repeat customers but also life-long friends.

Dan was the eternal optimist who loved drinking scotch or Tito’s vodka. Dan was known to create his own recipes - especially on Thanksgiving, one of his favorite holidays, when he created a cocktail he’d call “the concoction of the day.” He had a musical ear and played the accordion and the piano and could learn to play almost any song just by hearing it once.

Dan is preceded in death by his father Arthur, mother Molly, and sister Alfreda. And by his beloved dogs, Nicole and Buffy and his “grand-dog,” Lilly. He is survived by his wife, June Baker, son and daughter-in-law, David/Irene Baker, daughter, Jill Baker, and grandchildren, Adam Baker and Rachel Baker.

Funeral services will be held on Friday, July 2 at National Funeral Home, 7482 Lee Highway, Falls Church, Virginia. Visitation will begin at noon. The indoor service will begin at 1 p.m. followed by a graveside burial at 2 p.m. The service and burial will be lived streamed at:

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/falls-church-va/daniel-baker-10252238. Donations can be made to: Smile Train or Jewish Federation.