Benjamin Whiteley Baker , Sr.

Benjamin Whiteley Baker, Sr. passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 11, 2020 at The Oaks at Mayview in Raleigh. He was preceded in death by his parents, Julian Tucker Baker and Nancy Fish Baker and his brother, Julian Tucker Baker, Jr.

Ben, a Raleigh native, was born at Rex Hospital in Raleigh, NC on December 14, 1941. He attended Episcopal High School and graduated from Broughton High School in 1960. Ben attended UNC Chapel Hill where he was a member of Zeta Psi fraternity. Just prior to graduating, he moved to Burlington, NC to join his family’s business, Virginia Mills. While in Burlington, he completed his BA from Elon College. He also served in the North Carolina Army National Guard.

Ben attended Christ Church in Raleigh. He was a past member of the Carolina Country Club and the Terpsichorean Club. He was also a member of the Sphinx Club, Saint Christopher’s Club, North Carolina Museum of History Associates and the Ole Raleigh Boys.

Ben had many hobbies and interests. He invested in several local businesses. He was also an avid and skilled sailor who was known to navigate the waters from New England to the Caribbean on his boat Tipsy. He loved Atlantic Beach and being out on the water there with his friends and family.

Ben lived a contented life. He was always willing to help those in need – a trait shared by his late brother Julian and his sister Nancy. He was a kind, caring, generous man who had a remarkable ability to make strong and lasting friendships later in life. He hunted as a young boy with his father and reconnected with hunting later as an adult. He enjoyed his many hunting excursions around the state and country with dear friends.

Ben is survived by his son, Benjamin Whiteley Baker, Jr.; his grandchildren, Ashby Tucker Baker, Benjamin Whiteley Baker III and Lily MacRae Baker; his sister, Nancy Gray Baker; his longtime companion Edwina Hardy Shaw and her children Hal V. Worth IV (Lee) and Kelly Worth Mitchell (Mike).

A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, January 21, 2020 at 2:00 pm at Christ Episcopal Church, 120 E. Edenton St., Raleigh. A reception will follow the service at the church. Burial will be private at Oakwood Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Delta Waterfowl Foundation, or Wake County Ducks Unlimited, or the charity of one's choice.

Arrangements by Brown-Wynne, Saint Mary's St., Raleigh.