Michael Baker

DECATUR, GA. - Michael Howard Baker, of Decatur, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, May 20, 2013. Mike was born on September 3, 1957 to Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Hyde Baker. He was a devoted and beloved husband and father. A graduate of J.H. Rose High School in Greenville, N.C. and East Carolina University, Mike touched many lives through his career, community youth sports and outreach programs.
In his work as an investment counselor with Wachovia Bank in North Carolina and Georgia and, more recently, as a senior investment officer with the Northern Trust Company in Atlanta, Mike valued the long-term relationships he developed with clients and colleagues.
Mike loved history and sports and, thus, briefly considered a career as a high school educator. After making the decision to pursue his other dream, a career in finance, instead, he coached youth baseball during and just after college. When his daughters started playing soccer, he enrolled in coaching clinics for that. He served as a community coach for the Decatur-Dekalb YMCA Youth Soccer Program for 8 years, sometimes coaching two teams in one season.
Sailing had been a lifelong passion for Mike. He learned to sail off the North Carolina coast and became involved with the Lake Lanier Flying Scot fleet several years ago. He loved to be on a big body of water with lots of wind in a boat without a motor.
Mike found his outreach calling through his knowledge and enjoyment of tools and do-it-yourself house repairs. As a member of Holy Trinity Episcopal church he traveled to New Orleans several times to help with rebuild efforts after Hurricane Katrina. For the past three years, he served as a house crew chief for the Decatur Preservation Alliance MLK Service Project, leading groups of volunteers from Holy Trinity and the community. He so enjoyed getting to know the elderly homeowners and other volunteers over these three-day home improvement projects.
However, Mike's true passion was for his family. He was a devoted and loving husband for 31 years and he relished time with his two daughters. His support and pride in their lives and accomplishments was unyielding. He was deeply loved and will be greatly missed.
Mike is survived by his wife, Hope MacMillan Baker; daughter, Anna Baker; daughter and son-in-law, Virginia and Andrew Hazen; parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bruce H. Baker of Greenville, N.C.; siblings, Bruce Baker Jr., Jesse Baker and Virginia Kossol, of Greenville, N.C. and Timothy Baker of Greenville, S.C.; and 13 nieces and nephews.
A funeral service for Mike will be held Friday at 3 p.m. at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Decatur. The family will hold a visitation tonight from 6 – 8 in Tisdale Hall at Holy Trinity. In lieu of flowers Mike requested donations be made to one of the following organizations: Decatur Emergency Assistance Ministry or DEAM (http://deamdecatur.org/donations/); the Decatur Preservation Alliance MLK Service Project (http://www.mlkserviceproject.com); or the Decatur Education Foundation (http://decatureducationfoundation.org).