Evelyn Ruth Baker

Evelyn Ruth Baker, 76, passed away peacefully on September 26, 2025, while in hospice care at the Praises Joy care home near Lake Meridian in Kent, Washington.

Born on May 18, 1949, in Walla Walla, Washington, Evelyn was the daughter of Fred and Lola Huffman. She grew up in southern Oregon and spent several years in 4-H. She graduated from Days Creek High School in 1967 and, two years later, earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Accounting Technology from Oregon Technical Institute (now Oregon Institute of Technology) in Klamath Falls.

Evelyn’s earliest endeavors in financial and market research began humbly at her kitchen table, where a manual typewriter and a green plastic file box served as her tools. There, she conducted financial statement analysis, reviewed market newsletters, and developed timing strategies to guide her own investing. Over time, her work expanded—engaging in correspondence with economic thinkers during the turbulence of 1970s stagflation, contributing to reform-minded discussions throughout the 1980s, and later participating in the civic networks that shaped grassroots political momentum in the post–Cold War era. Her curiosity, discipline, and independent spirit made her a respected voice among those building the intellectual and civic scaffolding for economic and policy transformation across these decades.

In 1971, Evelyn married Larry Baker in Las Vegas, Nevada. After establishing her independent investing research, Evelyn supported Larry’s commercial aviation career as an A&P mechanic—beginning in California, welcoming their two eldest sons; continuing in Colorado with the birth of their youngest; and later moving to Nebraska, where they rented their first house together. These years were marked by partnership, adventure, and a shared dedication to family, laying the foundation for her later community involvement in Kentucky—where she became a Cub Scout den leader.

Faith and community remained central to Evelyn’s life. After relocating from Kentucky to Washington State—moving across the country in separate vehicles, each towing a trailer—they settled in Kent, close once again to their families in the Pacific Northwest. Larry continued his aviation maintenance career with Alaska Airlines, while Evelyn became actively involved at Hillside Nazarene Church, volunteering as a Sunday school teacher and serving as a Caravan youth leader throughout the mid-to-late 1980s. She later returned to one of her favorite roles—as a Cub Scout den leader—continuing her devotion to mentoring young people and fostering curiosity, kindness, and responsibility. The family also shared a love of sailing, spending cherished days exploring Puget Sound and the Columbia River aboard their trailerable sailboat.

Evelyn faced two decades of kidney disease with remarkable courage and grace, inspiring those around her with warmth, humor, and quiet resilience. During this time, she developed a deep interest in tracing her ancestry through colonial Virginia and the American West, a pursuit that reflected her lifelong curiosity and love of history. Evelyn was graceful toward everyone around her, sharing stories and anecdotes with her various physicians, nurses, paratransit service drivers, and others whose paths she crossed.

Evelyn is survived by her three sons—Keith Balter, Philip Baker, and Jason Wayne—whose pursuits in economics, urban development, and information technology carry forward the curiosity and perseverance she instilled in them; her grandsons, Brendan Baker, Landon Baker, and Hayden Baker; her siblings and their spouses, Gina Simpson, Doris Huffman, Roy and Linda Huffman, and Rolland and Judith Huffman; her former husband, Larry Baker, who remained a close companion in her later years; and her dear friend, Cheryl Baugh. She was preceded in death by her brother, Glenn Errol Huffman (1939).

Evelyn will be remembered for her integrity, intelligence, and compassion—a life lived with purpose, leaving a quiet yet lasting influence on her family, friends, and community.

Grace and Legacy.

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