William Baker

Bill Baker, age 69, of St. Charles, Missouri passed away on Friday, February 12, 2021. He was born in Rantoul, Illinois on July 10, 1951 to David Baker and Helen (Kemp) Baker.

Ever since Bill served as a Navy photographer aboard the U.S.S. Franklin D. Roosevelt, he found joy in photography. One of his favorite hobbies was to print and frame pictures, and his home office space is covered—wall-to-wall—in his travel photos, alongside photos taken by his wife and children. On that note, Bill loved traveling to new places and trying new food, and always spoke with excitement about the anniversary trips he took with his wife, Joyce, to Costa Rica and New Zealand.

Bill was a big nerd. Anytime he went to the library, he came home with a giant stack of books on science, science-fiction, and paleoanthropology. And if you let him, he would talk to you about early humans for hours on end. (But you had to be careful; you would be likely to learn something new, but it was pretty hard to stop him once he got going.) He always shared his passions with his sons, Matt and Gabe, and the three of them could spend hours talking about everything from the newest science news to the oldest Star Trek episode. Most recently, he had been passing those same interests along to his grandnephews, Jimmy and Danny, who were his buddies for movies, boardgames, and Legos. He was also a political junky and an avid Cardinals fan. He spent many hours talking (or yelling) with his brother and best friend, Rick, about the last game, the latest shocking trade, or the miracle that is Yadier Molina.

Bill's family will deeply miss his loud laughter and big personality. Bill is survived by his wife, Joyce Baker; his sons, Matt Baker and Gabriel Baker, and his daughter-in-law, Mandy Peacock; his brother, Rick Baker; his niece, Christine Baker; his Aunt Dora and Uncle Tommy Potts; his sister-in-law, Lorri King; his niece, Meghan Sova; his grandnephews, Jimmy and Danny Steele; and his eight cousins. Bill was preceded in death by his father, David Baker; his mother, Helen Leeper; and his beloved Uncle Bill Baker.

Visitation will be from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 10, 2021 at Newcomer Cremations, Funerals & Receptions, 837 Mid Rivers Mall Drive, St. Peters, Missouri 63376.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the American Heart Association www.heart.org or Five Acres Animal Shelter www.fiveacresanimalshelter.org in Bill's memory.