Passages: Richard Baker

 

 

I am saddened to inform readers of the recent passing of Richard Baker.

 

 

Rich, a neighbor and personal friend of mine, had been seriously ill for several weeks and then succumbed shortly after entering hospice care.

He moved here from Chicago and was a dedicated volunteer who cared very much about our community.

An original member of the Security Patrol, Rich served as Assistant Chief and as a watch commander, and logged more than 4,800 hours of service as a Patrol member. He also was a member of the Election Committee.

Many of those who didn’t know Rich personally may recognize him from his photo, above, as he spent many hours visiting with residents and conversing with the customer service representatives and visitors in the lobby of Anthem Center. In that sense, he was an ambassador who shared his love of our community on almost a daily basis.

Rich was cremated and his ashes were flown back to Chicago for internment. He leaves behind his loving wife Hwa, as well as his daughter Michele, a local attorney of whom he was very proud. 

 

Comments

[Barbara Seely]

Thank you for posting this article about Rich Baker. Not only was he a watch commander with the patrol, but he also was an assistant chief. He logged more than 4800 hours while working for our community patrol.

[Dick Cancellier]

It was a shock to hear of Rich's passing. I had known Rich since we started the Secuity Patrol many years ago. He liked everyone, but if you were putting down our community, he let you know that it didn't please him.
He liked to tell stories and if you were one of his friends he always had an a "little zinger" for you.
As David mentioned he was very proud of daughter's success. He will be missed.

[David Berman]

Thank you, Barbara and Dick, for contributing.

Barbara: As you know, it took me a while to gather what information I could before publishing. I had spoken with several former chiefs and with Carol K., and received the image from Roland as part of a group photo.

I'm going to republish the article with the corrected Patrol service information you have provided, though my subscribers who receive FeedBlitz emails would have to log onto the blog to read the update.

[Sherman Uchill]

I also was shocked to hear of Rich's passing. I knew Rich for almost the entire 10 years we have lived here. I hiked many times over the years with his wife Hwa. She was and is an amazing hiker, and he kidded me often about my inability to keep up with her, especially on strenuous hikes. He loved the community. I will miss his impish grin.

[bonnie]

We will all miss Rich - he was always a bright spot in the center on busy days. He also shared his sweet dog stories with us all.