HELEN CUSHING UNDERWOOD BAKER

1923 - 2017

BAKER, Helen Cushing Underwood July 16, 1923 ---- July 2, 2017

Helen Underwood Baker died where she was born, at her home in Belmont, MA. She was 93. A gracious force for good, an elegant and dignified woman, a loyal and loving wife, mother, and mentor - Helen was an encircling embrace for her family and friends. She was the daughter of William James and Helen Rowan Underwood (Belmont) and the granddaughter of William Lyman and Ida Cushing Underwood (Belmont). Her brother was the late William Julian Underwood (South Dartmouth). She was married to the late Dr. William Henry Baker (Belmont). Helen attended Belmont Day School, Beaver Country Day School, and took classes at the Rhode Island School of Design. During the Second World War, Helen worked for the Army Women's Transport Service and then for the American Red Cross. Later in life, she took time to knit blankets for wounded veterans of The Iraq War. She was an active volunteer of Gore Place and a founding member of The Dyslexia Foundation. A lifelong lover of the sea, Helen developed a fascination with the transatlantic voyages of the great ocean liners and, over the years, became an amateur expert on of the H.M.S. Titanic. Her dedication to animal welfare was unwavering. Helen was fiercely devoted to all animals, especially "her dogs". She was the mother of Richard Loring Baker (Boston), Cynthia Baker Burns (Belmont), William Henry Baker, Jr. (New Bedford), and Carolynn Underwood Baker (Belmont). She was the grandmother to Lily, Jennifer, Carson, Maida, Deborah, Olivia, Amelia, Madeleine, William, Daisy, and Zach; as well as great-grandmother to Prosper, Oscar, Violet, Charlie, Scarlet, Lucy, Huck, Boone, and Vivienne. Helen's love and dedication to her family was colossal. She had the capacity to simultaneously engage, direct, and encourage her family with a notably refreshing honesty. Her burial will be private. A celebration of her life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Helen's honor to The Buddy Dog Humane Society, 151 Boston Post Road, Sudbury, MA 01776 or The Dyslexia Foundation, 1 Clinton Place, New Bedford, MA 02740.