Kerwin Anthony Baker

Kerwin Anthony Baker, loving husband, father, grandfather, coach, athlete and avid sportsfan, died December 4th after a brief battle with cancer. He was 79.
He was born February 13, 1944, in Queens, New York to Ruth Kelly (nee Baker). He was raised by his grandparents, Anthony and Florence Baker in Sarasota, Florida. Kerry attended St. Martha School and Cardinal Mooney High School. In high school, he was the captain of the football, basketball, and baseball teams under the guidance of Coach John Heath. He served in the US Army from 1965-1967 at Fort Hamilton. While in New York, he met his beloved wife, Judy Baker.
He married Judy (nee Pechaver) in 1966. The two were married for 57 wonderful years. They welcomed Steven Anthony and Elizabeth Ann, their two children, in 1967 and 1984 respectively. In 1971, Kerry began his business, Spectrum Painting and Paperhanging, which he owned and operated for over 40 years. In his spare time, he played semi-pro basketball with the original Oyster Bar team.
Beyond his family and business, Kerry, or "Coach Bake" as he was known to many, trained numerous students over the years in basketball and football. His coaching career spanned 50 years. In that time, he helped mold and mentor young boys into men at St. Martha School, Sarasota High School and Cardinal Mooney High School. Beyond that, he also assisted athletes at other local schools and in Texas, Louisiana and even Sweden. Kerry was able to help secure college athletic scholarships for over 200 student athletes throughout the years. However, the most important part to Kerry, was not winning or losing, but to instill life lessons through sports that would carry through into adulthood. It was about practice, patience, perseverance, working as a team and most importantly, doing your best, on the field and off.
He is survived by his wife, Judy; his son, Steven, and his daughter-in-law, Vanessa; his daughter, Elizabeth and son-in-law, Hunter Kallenbach; his brothers, Mike and Bill Kelly; his sisters, Maureen Bonenfat and Patty Meere; his grandchildren, Brendan and Ryan Baker and Connor and Ava Kallenbach.
A funeral mass will be held at St. Martha Catholic Church on Dec. 14th at 1 PM.
A celebration of life will be planned for a future date in February 2024.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the V Foundation for Cancer Research.