October 3, 1930 - April 11, 2024
John F. (Jack) Baker of Broomfield, CO passed away on April 11, 2024 at 93 years old. He was the son of Raymond Foss Baker and Hazel Elizabeth Maloney, of Duluth, Minnesota.
He attended Holy Name School, Minneapolis, MN and finished 8th grade in 1944. He graduated from Central High School, Minneapolis class of 1948. Jack entered the US Navy in October of 1950. He became a hospital corpsman Third Class in December 1951. Assigned to the medical unit at Tripler Army Hospital on Oahu in April 1952. Jack was honorably discharged from the US Navy in August of 1954.
Jack married Anita Evelyn Vanasek in Minneapolis, Minnesota on April 7, 1956 at Incarnation Catholic Church. They celebrated 68 fabulous years together!
Jack, after serving in the US Navy and working for Northern States Power Company in the computer operation department he was trained by IBM in Poughkeepsie, NY as a computer programmer and assigned to the Boulder, Colorado programming center in 1966. After retiring from IBM in 1987 but continued to work as a consultant until 1992. After raising his family in Boulder, they moved to Broomfield in 1998. They also wintered in Tucson for many years.
Jack’s achievements included outstanding performance in his department at IBM and he was invited to "IBM Boulder Pride Week" at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Including a limo ride all the way. In May of 2017 he was invited to go on an Honor Flight to Washington DC for recognition for serving in the Korean Conflict.
Jack loved children. He hosted an exchange student from Germany. Jack tutored reading and math for elementary school students in Vail, Arizona.
Jack was initiated in the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks in Boulder, Lodge 566. He joined the Knights of Columbus and became a 4th degree knight. He was a spiritual advisor for St. Vincent de Paul and distributed the Eucharist to hospital patients.
He loved square dancing and cued/taught round dancing in Colorado and Arizona. Jack was an avid fly fisherman and loved traveling and the outdoors.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Hazel Baker of Minneapolis, MN; sisters, Dorothy Morey of Eugene OR, and Helen Baker of Starr, SC and his father Raymond Foss Baker of Southern California.
He is survived by his wife, Anita Baker; daughters Jean Holman (Bill) of Sedona, AZ, Sandy Alexander (Dyarl) of Lafayette, CO, Patty Chamberlain (Peter) of Longmont, CO, Nancy Spawn (Jerry) of Golden, CO and a son Jim Baker (Liz) of Highlands Ranch, CO; sisters Mary Graf and Ruth Peters and 14 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren who live around the globe.
There will be a Mass of Christian Burial at Nativity of our Lord in Broomfield, CO on April 18, 2024 at 10:30am. This will be live-streamed through the church at www.nool.us
In honor of Jack Baker, please consider donating to the Little Sisters of the Poor at https://www.littlesistersofthepoordenver.org/donations, or St. Vincent dePaul at www.svdpden.org/donate, or another charity of your choice. Please note that it is in Jack's honor and include your name with the donation.
