Fred L Baker

Fred L. Baker, 78, died peacefully Saturday morning, June 20, 2015, in Phoenix with his surviving children by his side. Fred was born on June 18, 1937 in Marion, NC to Jack C. and Allie Baker. After moving frequently around the U.S. as a child, he ended up at St. Mary’s High School in Phoenix and spent most of the rest of his life in the Phoenix area. He was a registered Land Surveyor and for a while owned the company Baker Land Surveying. He is survived by his children: Dan Baker, Julie Kendall, and Jodie Baker; four grandchildren: Dillon Kendall, Alex Baker, Jason Baker, and Madison Baker; and two sisters: Margaret Lander and Janet Murray. He was predeceased in death by his parents, his son Dean Baker and sister Patsy Faith.

Fred was born as Frederic Lee Baker at 8:30 am, weighing 9 ½ pounds. He died in his room at Brookdale Christown (formerly Chris Ridge) Senior Living Center due to complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

His father, Jack Baker, was a U.S. Army Colonel, and later worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, therefore the family moved many times during his childhood. His favorite childhood stories included the time living in Montana where he had a horse to ride, and working during the summer in Lake Tahoe as a golf caddy for some famous people. He grew up with an appreciation for Native American cultures, and great sympathy for the injustices they suffered.

He graduated from St. Mary’s Catholic High School in 1956. And was in touch with at least one friend from his days at St. Mary’s, until shortly before his death. After graduating from St. Mary’s he met and married Patricia (Pat) Gramer, he started his surveying career with a job with Maricopa County, and he joined the Army Reserves.

The Army Reserves is where he received formal training in shooting and firearms repair. He loved guns, shooting, hunting, reloading, and gunsmithing his whole life. It was the hardest thing for him to give up as his health start to fail. Even after he could no longer actively pursue this favorite hobby, he still stayed up on the current trends in guns, bullets, etc. and was always ready to discuss the pros and cons of various designs.

His professional career as a land surveyor started with the job at Maricopa County. Since then it has been his only profession. This includes his brief time as a surveying instructor at Phoenix Community College. After leaving the County, he worked for many private companies in the Phoenix area and became well known and well respected in the Phoenix surveying community. Eventually in 1985 he started his own company, Baker Land Surveying. After closing his company in 1990, he moved for a short time to California. Fred was a Registered Land Surveyor in Arizona, California, and Nevada. He retired in 2007, at the age of 70. The two things we remember most about his work were the stories of encounters with snakes and other wild animals and the fact that every time we were driving with him, he would say “I worked on this road.” To us, it has always seemed like he was a part every road in the Phoenix Metro and surrounding areas.

Fred and Pat were married from 1959 to 1985 and had four children in 5 ½ years: Dan, Julie, Dean, and Jodie. From our perspective, those years were wonderful. He focused on us children, involved at church (St. Louis the King) with the church school, Boy Scouts, Little League Baseball, and the Parish Youth Organization (PYO).

From 1986 to 2010 Fred was married to Mary Norma Hinds. While they were married he enjoyed time with his grandchildren, and became close with his step-sons, Vince and Curt Hinds, who among other things share his love of firearms.

In 2011 his son, Dean, passed away, from which Fred never quite recovered.

Fred’s funeral Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, July 2, 2015 in the St. Joan of Arc Parish chapel (3801 E. Greenway Road, Phoenix, AZ 85032) at 11:00am. For those interested, the Rosary will be said for Fred preceding the funeral Mass at 10:30 am, also in the chapel. As mentioned before, he was active in the church his whole life. When we were kids it was at St. Louis the King, then later at St. Helen’s and most recently at St. Joan of Arc. He always loved the Rosary and died with one in his hands.

A reception, immediately following the funeral Mass, will be held at Jodie and Madison Baker’s house.

Upon reflection, it seems the words that sum up our Dad’s life are: Father, Husband, Surveyor, and Firearms Enthusiast.

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

Dan, Julie, and Jodie