Barbara L. "Bobbie" Baker

Baker, BARBARA L. "Bobbie" Age 69, died in her home of smoke inhalation in a house fire early Wednesday morning, January 7, 2015. She was born in Little Falls, Minnesota on August 12, 1945. With her military father, she spent much of her childhood in Germany; she and her mother, Barbara Baker Braendle, eventually moved to Grand Rapids to be near relatives. In her youth Bobbie captured many city diving championships while competing at Garfield Park. After graduating from Ottawa Hills High School in 1963, where she was a cheerleader and a competitive diver, she attended and graduated from Michigan State University in 1967. She was a member of Green Splash, MSU's synchronized swim team. Following graduation she ventured out to pursue a career in social work in New York City. What a brave move for a small town girl, but Bobbie excelled in it and loved living in the city. She worked on a part-time basis in Eddie Condon's Jazz Club famous in its day for the wonderful musicians that Bobbie came to know well. Bobbie eventually moved back to Grand Rapids to be closer to family and worked in various jobs and met and befriended wonderful people. Bobbie was a joy to know loving to laugh, caring for others, doing a nice act for someone. She was a dedicated volunteer for years at Grand Rapids Meals on Wheels. She was also a wonderful mother to many lucky cats. Bobbie leaves her beloved family: aunt and godmother, Joann L .Herrity from Grand Rapids and now living in Pittsburgh; her aunt Carol Lovdahl from Little Falls Minnesota, her much-loved cousins from the Herrity family and the Lovdahl family, her step-siblings from the Baker family and many other special friends. Her father, Herbert Baker, her mother, and her wonderful stepfather, Donald Braendle, all predeceased her. Bobbie's family sends love and gratitude to her wonderful caregiver, Margaret Van Polen, to Dawn Gardineer, to the nurses and staff at the Lacks Cancer Center at St. Mary's Hospital, to Heartland Hospice, to her AA friends and to all others who gave her joy of living and help through this life. Bobbie will be missed by many, all with wonderful and lasting memories of her spirited being. Please remember Bobbie with your love and your laughter; do a good deed in her memory. A memorial visitation has been arranged for Tuesday, January 13 from 10 AM until 12 noon. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to Heartland Hospice or Meals on Wheels. The family is being served by