Dorothy Alice Dow Baker

WINDSOR -- Dorothy Alice Dow Baker, 90, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 11, 2009, at the home of Scott and Kyle Pierce in Weeks Mills.

Dot, a longtime resident of Windsor, was born in Vassalboro on Dec. 27, 1918, the daughter of the late Elmer Dow, Jr. and Laverna (Colbath) Dow. She was the oldest of five siblings.

Dot was a graduate of Erskine Academy in 1936, where she participated in women's basketball and school plays. She was very close to her sister, Frances, when they were growing up. Dot attended Gates Business College following high school. She served in the military during World War II for two years, joining the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps. She attended the Midland Radio and Television School Inc., in Kansas City, Mo., and completed basic training with the C832 Regiment in Oglethorpe, Ga., in 1943.

On May 5, 1945, she married Robert Baker of Lima, Ill. -- a survivor of Pearl Harbor -- a marriage that lasted 63 years. They lived in Illinois briefly and moved to Windsor in September 1947 with their son, Dewey. Dot was a member of Windsor Memorial Baptist Church, Eastern Star and Windsor Fair Museum.

Above all, Dot enjoyed spending time with her family. Dot was very fond of her grandchildren and, as children, she often took them sliding in the snow or spent time with them at her cottage on the ocean. The family spent many summers sharing wonderful meals and combing the rocks in front of her ocean cottage. Dot was also well known for her green thumb and she could often be seen outside very early on a summer morning working on her beautiful flower and vegetable gardens. She also loved nothing better than to sit on the porch of the China Lake camp, surrounded by family and friends on the 4th of July.

Dot was predeceased by her sisters, Francis Newton, Corrine Mason and Thelma Dow; her niece, Joanne Mason; and her nephew, David Newton.

She is survived by her husband, Robert Baker, of Windsor; her son, Dewey and his wife, Judy Baker, of Windsor; her granddaughter, Lisa and her husband, Avery Glidden, of Palermo; her grandson, Robbie Baker, of China; her brother, Bernard and his wife, Bessie Dow, of Windsor; her sister, Margaret and her husband, Vaughn Pierce, of Weeks Mills; a brother-in-law, Ernest Newton, of Windsor; seven great-grandchildren, Brooke, Nicole, Abigail, Brock and Boe Glidden, of Palermo, and Alec and Isaac Baker, of China; as well as several nieces, nephews and cousins.

A funeral service will take place at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 14, at Plummer Funeral Home, 983 Ridge Road, Route 32, Windsor, with pastor Greg McKelvey of Windsor Memorial Baptist Church officiating. Interment will be in Rest Haven Cemetery in the spring.

The family would like to acknowledge with gratitude all the compassionate care, guidance and support they received from Melissa Noborowski, registered nurse, and Lisa Munzing, MSW, of HealthReach Hospice; pastor Greg McKelvey of Windsor Memorial Baptist Church; Cortney Pierce, registered nurse, of Rockport; Carlene Belfleur, of Whitefield; and Patty LaGoff of Renaissance Quality Home Care of Gardiner.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to HealthReach Hospice, P.O. Box 828, Waterville, ME 04903; and the Windsor Ladies Aid, c/o Priscilla Clark, 228 Coopers Mills Road, Windsor, ME 04363.

Condolences to the family may be expressed via the funeral home Web site at www.plum merfh.com.