Nancy Annette Baker Marcusson

March 1925 - June 25, 2012 BOURBON - Nancy Annette Baker Marcusson passed away at home, at the age of 87, surrounded by her family, at 11:00 p.m. on June 25, 2012, after valiantly battling cancer for fourteen years. A native of Bourbon, Indiana, Nancy was born in March of 1925 to Hallie Gates and Walter Samuel Baker. Nancy grew up, the ninth of ten children, on their family-owned and operated dairy farm and was active in 4-H. She graduated from Bourbon High School with the Class of 1943. For several years, Nancy lived and worked in Ft. Wayne, IN. In 1948, she and her young daughter, Paulette Eby, moved from Bourbon to Southern California, where they lived for several years with her older sister Frances and family. Nancy eventually met, and on February 21, 1956, married the love of her life, Floyd "Marc" Marcusson. They were together for almost 60 years, and lovingly raised six children. They began their married life in Bellflower, CA, where Nancy worked as secretary for a real estate company and later as a clerk for the Los Angeles County Courts. She was active in the Business and Professional Women's Club. In 1972, the family moved to Fallbrook, CA, where they have resided for forty years among a close-knit community of friends and neighbors. A devoted wife and mother, enriching the lives of her children was Nancy's number one priority. She contributed her time to youth organizations, serving as a leader with the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and 4-H. She earned awards for baking at county fairs and passed on her legendary pie baking secrets. Like her mother, Hallie Gates Baker, Nancy was an avid devotee of crossword puzzles. She was a PTA volunteer and she often worked at the polls on Election Day. As her children grew older, Nancy rejoined the work force, initially working at a local restaurant as a waitress, where she earned the respect of her younger co-workers and patrons alike. After most of her children had left home, Nancy earned her real estate license and worked as a realtor in Fallbrook with several agencies, until retiring in 1992. She proudly maintained a 4.0 GPA in courses she took later in life at Palomar College. Once retired, Nancy and Marc spent much of their time traveling the world, visiting family, historical battlefields, and National Parks. Over the last twenty years, one of her main joys was genealogy. Nancy was inspired to discover all she could about her family roots. She and Marc traveled around the country making stops where her ancestors had lived, visiting their gravesites, county courthouses, libraries, museums and other archival repositories to collect information which she lovingly compiled. She generously shared her research and knowledge with others. Nancy was preceded in death by her parents, Walter and Hallie Baker; siblings, E.G. Stanley Baker, Mary Ruth Baker White, Ralph Baker, Helen Baker Burns, James Baker and Phyllis Baker Roy; and great-grandson, Brian K. Lee. She is survived by her husband, Floyd "Marc" Marcusson; children, Paulette Eby (Donald) Smith of Norfolk, VA, Cynthia Marcusson Zava of Chapel Hill, NC, Lisa Marcusson (Bryant Smith) of Carson City, NV, Maria Marcusson of Santa Cruz, CA, Matthew Marcusson (Jose Maria Figueras) of Barcelona, Spain, and Eric Marcusson (Sam Law) of San Francisco, CA; grandchildren, Jon S. (Olga) Smith of Moscow, Russia, Elizabeth Smith (Sean) Lee of Fayetteville, NC, Kyle Marcusson Smith & Hannah Marcusson Smith of Carson City, NV, and Mathea Zava & Hallie Zava of Chapel Hill, NC; and great-grandsons, Nicholas Lee & Timothy Lee of Fayetteville, NC. Nancy also leaves behind two sisters, Martha Baker Klevjer of Federal Way, WA, and Frances Baker Sopher of Coeur D'Alene, ID; her brother, Robert Baker of Washington Court House, OH; and numerous loving nieces and nephews. A small memorial gathering was held at the Garden Center Cafe in Fallbrook on Wednesday, June 27th, for her local family and a small group of dear friends and neighbors. The family is planning a memorial celebration of Nancy's life sometime in early fall in her hometown of Bourbon, Indiana, for all relatives and friends who wish to honor her life. At Nancy's request, some of her ashes will be interred at Parks Cemetery in Bourbon, where her parents and some of her siblings are buried. An exceptional individual, who knew how to live well, laugh often, and love deeply, Nancy will be remembered by family and friends alike for her friendly, kindhearted manner and her playful sense of humor. She had an innate ability to look beneath the surface and see the important things, and was able to focus on the good and ignore the rest. Nancy was always able to find the right words to talk to anybody, and she willingly shared her wisdom and love with others. As she neared the end of life, she told her family, "Don't be sad for me. Remember the happy times. I've lived a good life." Nancy will be forever missed by all who loved her!