Obituary of Richard A. Baker, Jr.

Richard A. Baker, Jr. passed away on September 22 at his home in Tulsa, OK. He was with his wife and children.  Born in 1930 in Elk City, OK he was preceded in death by his parents, Richard A. Baker, Sr. and his mother Willie Baker; two sisters Willene Meyers , Mary Lee O’Shan, his oldest brother Roy and some dear friends.   He is survived by his wife Grace Darlene (Benson) Baker; daughter Paula Baker Moffett, her husband Larry; son Greg Baker & his wife Helen.  He & Darlene had four wonderful grandchildren- Ty Moffett & his wife Melissa, Tara (Moffett) Day and her husband Lantz; Catherine Baker and Travis Baker. They were also blessed with two great grandchildren Henry & Calvin Day.  Richard is also survived by brothers Billy and Wayne Baker as well as sisters Lou Carson, Juarita Voyles, Glenna DeCocq and Carolyn Killebrew. He made every effort to maintain close ties with them and their families. They were frequently invited to his favorite place, Lake Eufaula, to relax, fish and visit on the deck. He also had an extended family of Darlene’s eight siblings as well as their children, whom he loved like his own. He never missed the opportunity to spend time with family.

He met Darlene in Oklahoma City in 1951. They were married a short three months later on June 10, 1951. Not long after they were married Richard entered the Air Force and was deployed to the Philippines during the Korean Conflict. Paula was born in 1954 and shortly after Richard & Darlene moved to Ft. Worth where Greg was born in 1957. They continued to make their home in Ft. Worth for another 12 years. Richard worked for a variety of companies including Convair, Parker Rig & Reel, Justin Boot Co. and International Service Insurance Co. In 1966 he joined Standard Oil and moved his family to Tulsa where they purchased the home they are still in today. Richard retired after 23 years at Standard Oil in 1989.   Richard had a knack for building and fixing almost anything he set his mind to.  It was like a puzzle to him and he could always solve it. He was a tremendous resource to all his friends when they needed assistance for anything from car repair to home repair. He loved the outdoors, whether it was at the lake, traveling, fishing or hunting.  He & Darlene’s travels included all 50 states, Australia, all the provinces of Canada, New Zealand, Mexico, Belize and Europe. Much of the North American travel was by travel trailer with many of the friends they made while at AMOCO. These same wonderful friends recently helped them celebrate 67 years of marriage.

Richard’s faith in God was boundless.  He loved attending Church and Sunday School.  He garnered true friendships in the Happy Christians Class at Asbury.

A graveside service will be held 1:00 p.m. Tuesday at Floral Haven Memorial Gardens followed by a 2:00 p.m. memorial service at Asbury United Methodist Church.  If you wish to make a donation in lieu of flowers please donate to your favorite charity.

Ninde Brookside Chapel      ninde.com       918-742-5556