John S. Baker

There wasn't a train ride that John S. Baker didn't like. He rode the last segment of his lifelong journey at 1:52 a.m. on Dec. 17, 2008 to join his wife, Janet, who passed away two-and-a-half years ago. John's death ended a year of medical problems, beginning with a nighttime fall from bed in September 2007 that resulted in a broken collarbone. Then he had skin cancer removed from his hands followed by prostate surgery in February 2008. In October 2008 doctors diagnosed small cell lung carcinoma (cancer) that had metastasized to his brain, liver and bones. After he finished radiation for his brain tumors, John's condition deteriorated. He spent his last days at the Porter Hospice AR Johnson Center with his son, Chuck, and daughter, Lynne, holding his hand and telling him how much they loved him. He was 82. John began his journey July 8, 1926 in Philadelphia, Pa., the son of Ruth and Charles T. Baker. In later years, he remembered flying with his family to Cuba in a propeller plane and seeing all the damage in Florida from the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. He and his cousin Ed Ormondroyd, who grew up to be a children's book author, would write newspapers to each other when they were at summer camp. Ruth sent John to The Haverford School, a private boarding school, when he was 10, and he graduated from high school there in 1944. From 1944 to 1946 he was stationed in the Army in Germany. Prior to his enlistment, he planned to be a minister, but his war experience changed his mind. When John returned home, he worked for three years at a company owned by a friend's family and then returned to school on the G.I. bill. He graduated in June 1952 from Temple University in Philadelphia with a BA in history. It was there he met his lifelong friend, Russ Keefer, at a model railroad club. A member of the Army Reserves, John was called back to service during the Korean War and was stationed in Fort Eustis and Fort Meade, Va., in 1952-53. He was a reserve officer from 1953 to 1968 and was a Major at the time of his honorable discharge. In 1954 he began working at American Express and decided to return to night school. He married Janet Mae Abell on Dec. 15, 1956 at Trinity Lutheran church in Germantown, Pa., and they were together for almost 50 years when Janet died May 22, 2006. They had two children, Lynne, born April 17, 1959, and Chuck, born Aug. 10, 1961. In June 1963, after working full-time during the day and going to school at night, John graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from the Drexel Institute of Technology. He went on to take graduate courses in chemistry at St. Joseph's College evening division, and taught technical and commercial subjects in the evening continuing education program at Penn State's Ogontz campus in Philadelphia. John worked 36 years in the coatings or coatings-related industries, handling research and development and technical and manufacturing services. He received honors for technical papers he presented and was president of several professional societies. In 1993 after 11 years of service, he retired from the Bureau of Reclamation. An avid traveler, John visited Canada with his friend, Ed Sherman, in 1952 and traveled to Mexico and Guatemala in 1955. Every summer for 29 years, Russ and Peggy Keefer traveled to Colorado to see John and his family. They took camping trips together throughout the West and usually centered their journeys on a tourist train ride. In later years, John and Janet traveled to Costa Rica and went on a cruise to Alaska. In August 2008, he took his last trip with his children. They spent time in the Colorado San Luis Valley and rode the Rio Grande Scenic Railroad over La Veta pass. True to his last name, John was an excellent baker of bread and liked trying out new recipes with his bread machine. A voracious reader, John enjoyed books on history, religion, business and trains. He loved to garden and grow raspberries, beans, onions, tomatoes, sunflowers and grapes. He would sit on the back porch and watch the birds and squirrels. A huge fan of the Denver Broncos, he watched every game the team played and enjoyed watching sports in general. A model railroader along with Russ, John had a train layout that covered half his basement. He spent hours working on the tracks, building mountains and constructing towns for his layout. After Janet died, John began attending her church, Saint Peter Lutheran church, every Sunday until his health prevented him from doing so. Knowing his cancer was terminal, he came to peace with his pending death and felt he had lived a good life. Donations can be made to Saint Peter Lutheran Church, 9300 East Belleview Avenue, Greenwood Village, CO 80111 or to Porter Hospice AR Johnson Center, 5020 E. Arapahoe Rd., Centennial, CO 80122.