Remembering John A. Baker
Floor Speech
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, I wish to praise a citizen from my State who recently passed away. In December John A. Baker who was loved and respected by those who knew and worked with him lost his battle with pancreatic cancer.
John A. Baker is survived by his wife Judy of 42 years, son Jesse M. Baker Sr., daughter Leslie Cummings, grandchildren Maria Graham, April Blakemore, Jesse M. Baker Jr., great grandson Joseph, mother-in-law Lenora Moore, sister-in-law Susan Wooden, nephews Jim and Mark Wooden, great niece Marina Lenora Wooden, brother-in-law Charles Moore, nephews Richard, Ryan, Mathew, and Kyle Moore. John is also survived by sister Lena Susort, brother Cecil Baker, nieces Lavonne Ruggles, Mary Beth Dagit, Barbara Collins and nephew Frank Baker, and several great, great great nieces and nephews.
John A. Baker was like many Alaskans. He was born in Iowa in 1937 and graduated from Everett High School in Everett, Washington in 1949 before finding his way to our great State. I have to tell you, what was Washington and Iowa's loss, was Alaska's gain.
John found his way to Alaska after serving in the U.S. Army in Australia during the Korean conflict. Upon coming to Alaska he first worked in Ketchikan where he was employed by Ketchikan Soda Works. He also flew part time for Weber Air and worked at Ellis Airlines as a mechanic in the landing gear section where he met and later partnered with Chuck Traylor.
He and Chuck Traylor formed a floatplane operation, Stikine Air Service, out of Wrangell in 1962. John held both an airframe and power plant mechanic license and was one of our Alaskan bush pilots. After selling his interest in the Stikine Air Service he moved to Juneau to work for Channel Flying Service.
John met Judy Moore Churchill in 1964, they were married on March 11, 1966, and moved to Juneau. After 3 years John and Judy returned to Wrangell where John worked at Wrangell's first television station. In conjunction with John's position at the TV station Judy opened Forget-Me-Not Florist, which provided many, many flower arrangements that went to the grand opening of the brand new saw mill office and other businesses in town.
Always the entrepreneurs and getting tired of never being able to purchase milk at the end of the week, John and Judy rented a small building from C.V. Hendersen and began a home milk delivery and small ``cash and carry'' market. As things changed John, along with wife, Judy entered the field of rentals and real estate where they devoted over 35 years of their lives and presently own Grand View Bed and Breakfast which overlooks Zimovia Strait and the Elephants' Nose. Also, during this time John continued to occasionally fly for Stikine Air Service and worked as a truck driver on the North Slope until his retirement.
During this time Judy also served as the business manager for the Wrangell District of the U.S. Forest Service where she and John served as surrogate parents and guardians for many of the new Forest Service employees and couples who came to Alaska to work in the Wrangell Ranger District. It was through their wisdom and kindness and John's sense of humor that dozens of young families learned how to assimilate themselves into the Wrangell community.
John was a 1961 active Past Master Mason of the Ketchikan Masonic Lodge No. 19, a member of Ducks Unlimited, Muskeg Meadows Golf Club, Friends of the Museum, Wrangell Elks Lodge No. 1595, Pioneers of Alaska Igloo No. 15, and a member of Teamsters Local 959. He served on the Inter-Island Ferry Authority from its inception until 1999. John also spent many volunteer hours working as a docent at the Wrangell Museum when tour ships were in.
John was also a man who invested in his community. He served on the Wrangell City Council five different times including: October 1989-October 1990; November 1993-October 1994; October 1994-October 1997; January 1998-October 1998; and finally from April 1999-October 1999.
As I said, the Bakers are well known in Wrangell for helping young couples new to Alaska learn the ways of Alaska as well as for John's sense of humor. When asked why he moved to Wrangell he would always tell people it was his ``youthful exuberance.'' And when asked in the 1980s why he had decided to work on the Alaska pipeline instead of continuing his flying career he simply said ``there are not many old, bold, pilots in Alaska--besides work on the pipeline paid more.''
Judy and John were always willing to lend a hand and help their neighbors and to make their community--Wrangell--a better place for everyone to live. John invested himself in southeast Alaska and made Wrangell a ``better community'' and made all that knew him ``better people.'' He will be missed by his family and friends and most importantly by his loving wife of 42 years, Judy. God grant him his just reward, he will be missed in Wrangell and in the hearts of those who knew him--God's speed John Baker, may the wind always be under your wings.
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