Anthony Michael Baca

Anthony Baca was born on October 3, 1987 in Flagstaff, AZ. He was the middle child between his older sister, Sonya, and his younger brother, Alex. He grew up participating in athletics, and his favorite person was his grandma, Toni. In high school, Anthony was a multi sport athlete, participating in track, basketball, and football. He continued his studies completing three years of undergraduate work toward a degree in Psychology. Anthony moved to Phoenix in 2011. It was there that he would meet his wife, Shawnee and daughter, Shelby, and begin a family. Anthony and Shawnee were married June 6, 2015. In 2016, Anthony and Shawnee welcomed a son, Terrence to complete their family. It was not long after Anthony moved to Phoenix when he joined the CrossFit community at CrossFit Blade. Anthony quickly realized his calling to coach fitness, and his knowledge and skill did not go unnoticed. He became the most well loved CrossFit coach in the community, holding numerous CrossFit and weightlifting certifications. Anthony competed at several local competitions, but most notably competed in the 2018 Granite Games on a team of three (w/ Cory Allen, Gage Greenfield), which was one of the highlights of his career. In 2019, Anthony was diagnosed with Stage 4 Mantle Cell Lymphoma. After 6 rounds of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant in 2020, Anthony reached complete remission. The pandemic provided Anthony a unique opportunity to build a fitness community out of his garage for his neighbors. The community grew rapidly, and Anthony enjoyed training his neighbors daily. Most recently, in August 2021, Anthony competed on a team of two (w/ Gage Greenfield) at the Legends Competition taking home a first place win. Anthony was blessed with 19 months of remission before the Lymphoma returned in October of 2021. Anthony fought hard, with dignity, and a smile the whole way through. After a long hard battle, the Lord called Anthony home on April 28, 2022. Anthony leaves behind his wife, Shawnee and two young children, Shelby (11) and Terrence (5), along with his immediate family and countless friends. A memorial service will be held at Palmcroft Church in the Worship Center (15825 N. 35th Ave Phoenix, AZ 85053) on Saturday, May 7, 2022 at 10:00am to honor his life and legacy.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.phoenixmemorialmortuary.com for the Baca family.