Jacob Alan Baker

Jacob "Jay" Alan Baker, of Windsor Locks, Connecticut, was born on July 17, 1945, to Loren E. and Helen Wolf Baker and was raised in Clinton, Connecticut. He lived a life shaped by curiosity, creativity, service, and a deep commitment to the communities he loved.

Jay attended Clinton schools and went on to Bentley University in Boston, graduating in 1967. Teaching came naturally to him, first as a business education teacher in Windsor and later through a 28-year career at CIGNA, where he held a variety of roles focused on training and corporate education. No matter the setting, Jay had a gift for helping people learn-clearly, honestly, and often with a well-timed, understated remark that said more than a long explanation ever could.

Outside of his professional life, Jay poured extraordinary energy into community theater in the Hartford area, where he was involved in nearly every aspect of production for more than forty years. Theater was never just a pastime for him; it was a way of building community, telling hard truths, and inviting people into deeper conversation. At Asylum Hill Congregational Church, Jay was instrumental in the creation of Theater on the Hill and remained active for many years in the church choir and other ministries. Among the various productions he helped bring to life, Jay was perhaps most proud of staging The Laramie Project at AHCC in 2004-an undertaking that reflected his belief in the power of storytelling to foster empathy, courage, and justice, and to bring people into relationship with one another.

Jay was also a longtime and devoted member of the Windsor Jesters, active for thirty years and honored as an honorary lifetime member. His commitment to service extended well beyond the stage and sanctuary. He volunteered with FOODShare, Special Olympics, the Hartford Artisans Weaving Center, and other organizations, offering his time and talents in ways that honored the dignity and worth of every person involved. Jay had a particular sensitivity to people and places the world too often overlooked, and he responded not with speeches, but with presence.

Those who knew Jay knew that he was direct and candid, qualities he wore honestly and without apology. Beneath that edge lived a steady kindness and a deep faith in the value of people and the importance of showing up. He believed that creativity was a form of generosity and that care, when practiced consistently, could be quietly transformative.

Jay also loved to travel, especially to National Parks, where he found joy in wide landscapes, long walks, and beauty that did not need improvement-or commentary.

Jay was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Loren E. Baker, Jr. He was deeply shaped by the love he shared for more than thirty years with his beloved life partner, Robert Scanlan, whose legacy remained a central and enduring part of Jay's life.

He is survived by several nieces, nephews, cousins, and a wide, chosen family of dear friends-people bound together by shared life, loyalty, laughter, and gratitude for having known him. Jay also had a quiet but unmistakable gift for connecting people to one another, instinctively bringing together those who might otherwise never have met and helping relationships, collaborations, and communities take root.

Jay wished to express profound gratitude to his oncologist, Dr. Timothy Hong, whose compassionate care for him-and for so many others-was a source of comfort, dignity, and grace throughout his short illness.

Jay was real, generous, and deeply engaged. His legacy lives on in the beauty he helped create, the people he encouraged, and the communities he strengthened-woven threads that continue to hold and bless those who remain.

Donations in Jay's memory may be made to the ALS Association of Connecticut, Hartford Artisans Weaving Center, or to the charity of one's choice.