Ray Baker

BAKER, WALTER RAYMOND (RAY), passed away on Sunday, March 2, 2014 at Hospice of Queen Anne's in Centreville, MD. He was 80 years old. Born December 18, 1933 on Kent Island, Ray was the beloved son of the late Walter Jephthah and Ann Elizabeth White Baker. An intelligent young boy, Ray's electrical and plumbing knowledge came effortlessly by watching the talented skills of his father. As a young man, much of his time was spent with his beloved uncle, Norman White "Unc" from whom he learned to hunt at Norman Point in Marling Farms, to farm in Dominion and Love Point, and to excel at what would become his passion - boating and tinkering with anything nautical. While his early ambition was to serve as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force, he instead entered the workforce after his 1951 graduation from Stevensville High School, working for the Chesapeake Bay Ferry System at Matapeake until completion of the original span of the Bay Bridge rendered the ferry system obsolete. In 1952, he married the love of his life, Shirley Ann Eaton. He was a life member of the Kent Island Volunteer Fire Department, a member of the Kent Island United Methodist Church, the Kent Island Heritage Society, and a past member of the Kent Island Yacht Club. As an employee at Friel Lumber Company, he drafted building plans during the day and worked as a night clerk at the former Howard Johnson Motor Lodge in Annapolis. In 1958, he began a long career with the State of Maryland Office of the Comptroller, retiring in 1989 as Manager of the Returns Processing Section of the Income Tax Division. He soon returned as a contractual employee to the newly formed Electronic Returns Processing Unit where his innovative and dedicated work ethic was instrumental in the development of electronic filing of tax returns or E-file, until his declining health forced him to leave. In 1968, Ray tragically lost his beloved wife Shirley, the mother of their six children. He married Joan Griscom in 1975 and much of their 17-year marriage was spent on the waters of the Chesapeake. He is survived by his six children, Dale White (Coleman) of Greensboro; Patty Baker (Robin); Carol Lorenz (Steve); and Keith Baker (Ruth) all of Stevensville; Kim Landry (John) of Severna Park; and Laura Cook (Tom) of Centreville. He is also survived by 14 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; one great-great grandchild; three nieces and several Delaware cousins. In addition to his first wife and parents, he was predeceased by his "Unc" and by his sister, Catherine Elizabeth Higgins, of St. Michaels, MD. The family will receive visitors at Fellows, Helfenbein & Newnam Funeral Home in Chester, MD on Thursday, March 6, 2014 from 2-4pm and 6-8pm. Funeral Services will be held on Friday, March 7, 2014 at 11:00am at Kent Island United Methodist Church in Chester MD. Interment will be private. Donations in Ray's memory may be made to the Kent Island Volunteer Fire Department, 1610 Main Street, Chester, MD 21619, or to a charity of your choice. Online condolences may be made at www.fhnfunerahome.com.