Gary Walter Baker

Gary Walter Baker, a resident of Ozark, Arkansas, passed away on December 15, 2025, at Washington Regional Medical Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas, following a fall at his home. He was 69 years old.

Born on December 8, 1956, in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, Gary often joked he was a "Casino Baby" because the hospital at Ramey Air Force Base, where he was born, was later converted into a casino. He graduated from Sylvan Hills High School in 1976 before embarking on a distinguished career with the U.S. Navy as a Radioman.

Gary is a member of the American Legion, and during his service, he was stationed aboard the USS Constellation (CV-64) in the Arabian Sea during the Iranian Hostage Crisis. His naval adventures took him from the Naval Radio Station San Miguel in the Philippines to the frozen landscapes of McMurdo Station in Antarctica.

After his discharge from the Navy, Gary spent over thirty years crisscrossing the country as a long-haul truck driver, eventually retiring from trucking at Brent Higgins Trucking in Mulberry, Arkansas.

Gary was known for his carefree attitude and a seemingly endless supply of stories. He was one of five brothers who all served in the Navy, and he was also a cherished member of his surrogate family in Arkansas. To both families, he was simply the favorite "Uncle Gary."

Gary was preceded in death by his parents, Walter Lee Baker and June Lee King, and his brothers, Larry Lee Baker and Charles Ray Baker.

He is survived by his brothers Mark Kelly Baker and Patrick Harvey Baker; his cousins from Springfield, Missouri; and Nancy Godinez and her family.

A memorial service and interment will be held during Memorial Day Weekend 2026 at the Baker Cemetery in Sharp County, Arkansas, where Gary's ashes will be laid to rest alongside his father and eldest brother.

To share memories or offer condolences, friends and family may post on Gary's Tribute Wall, found at www.siscofuneral.com.