John Edward Baker |
John Edward Baker
Birth: Sep. 19, 1958
Missoula
Missoula County
Montana, USA
Death: Mar. 6, 1974
Missoula
Missoula County
Montana, USA
John was born September 19, 1958 in Missoula to Bob & Carole Baker, their 1st and only son. He had a pretty average childhood. He attended Willard Grade School, participated in Boy Scouts, and played sports. He loved going to Grandma & Grandpa Sims place in Stevensville, where he could roam the countryside shooting his BB gun or slingshot at homemade targets. When he was old enough, he got a job as a paperboy for The Missoulian. He graduated from the 8th grade at Willard in 1973.
In late February 1974, John became violently ill, was hospitalized, and slipped into a coma. Ten days later he was taken off life support.
Friends, family, and many others pooled their money to create a memorial of some sort for John. Family decided they wanted Willard School to have a new flagpole. The old one was attached to the outside of the building near the top, and someone had to lean out a second story window to attach, raise and lower the flag.
Thus the Willard School got a new flagpole, one that has preserved John's name in the concrete base it's set in. It was commemorated in November 1974 and is still in use today (2013). The Willard School PTA put together a scrapbook to capture this event and it was presented to the family. The family in turn has donated this book back to Willard School so that students and faculty will know why the name "John Baker" is on their flagpole.
Family links:
Parents:
Carole Luray Day Kamrath (1935 - 2012)
Burial:
Sunset Memorial Gardens
Missoula
Missoula County
Montana, USA
Maintained by: Robin Pewtress
Originally Created by: Errol Johnsen
Record added: Jul 27, 2012
Find A Grave Memorial# 94273013