Leila "Skip" Baker

Baker, Leila "Skip" Chelsea, Michigan Age 98, died Sunday, July 26, 2015 at Chelsea Retirement Community. She was born May 2, 1917 in Flint, Michigan, the daughter of Edward & Olga (Ernst) McCallum. She was the oldest of 4 children. She has been preceded in death by her siblings Glendora Rodriquez, Beatrice Letsis and Duane McCallum. On Nov. 14, 1936, she married Sheldon "Bake" Baker in Saline, MI, and he preceded her in death on March 2, 1995. They lived in Plymouth, MI until 1958 when they moved to Rogers, AR with the Daisy Manufacturing Company. Skip returned to Michigan in 2006. They had 3 children, David (Nancy) of Fayetteville, AR, Dennis (Ann) of Minneapolis, MN and Christine (Sam) Tramontin of Ann Arbor, MI. They had 9 grandchildren, Michael (Tammy) Baker, Debbie (Gary) Vandermade, Robert (Shannon) Tramontin, Julie (Bryn) Morrison, Jay (Amy) Baker, Jeff Baker, Jennifer Baker, Beth (Shane) McDougal, Aleata (John) Brigance, and Rhonda McKinney; 19 great-grandchildren, and 11 great-great-grandchildren. "Skip" had a love for Girl Scouting and was a Girl Scout volunteer for over 50 years serving as troop leader in Plymouth, MI, Fayetteville, AR, and Springdale, AR. She also served on Noark Girl Scout Board of Directors several times and as a Volunteer Trainer for Outdoor Leadership. She and Sheldon were very involved in the development of Camp Noark in Huntsville, AR and had a tree planted in their name on the grounds. In 2008, Skip was named "Woman of Distinction" for the Girl Scouts of Noark Council. A memorial service will be held Thursday, July 30, 2:00 pm at Chelsea Retirement Community (Towsley Village Chapel), with Rev. Cathy Rafferty officiating. Graveside services will be at Fairview Memorial Gardens, Fayetteville, Arkansas at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Chelsea Music & Memory Project, c/o Chelsea Retirement Community, 805 W. Middle Street, Chelsea, MI, attention: Kori Rochefort.