Lewis Baker

Long time Casper resident, Lewis Leo Baker, passed away after a short illness on February, 2, 2013. He was 82 years of age at the time of his death. There will be a viewing at Newcomers Funeral Home on Sunday, February 10th from 5 pm to 7 pm with a Rosary to follow. His funeral is scheduled for Monday, February 11th, at St. Anthony's Church at 10 am. Internment will be at the Oregon Trail Veteran's Cemetery at 11:30 am. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to St. Anthony's Church.

Lewis was born on January 10, 1931 to Clinton Charles and Jennie Johanna (Andersen) Baker at the home of his grandparents, Charles and Ada Ruth (Wagher) Baker, in Gillette, WY. In addition to Gillette, he grew up in Sheridan and Douglas, WY. He graduated High School in Douglas in 1948 where he joined the Army National Guard right after graduation. However in 1950 he decided to join the Air Force full time and was eventually stationed at Cape Canaveral, FL where he worked as an electrical technician on the (at that time Top Secret) Matador Missile, the first US successful long range rocket. It was while he was stationed at Cape Canaveral that he met and married his wife, Christine Harkness. He and Christine divorced in 1978 but remained friends.

When he mustered out of the Air Force in 1954, he moved to Casper, WY where he went to work for the Mountain Bell Telephone Company as an electrical technician. He worked for them (as AT&T & Mountain West) for 27 years before retiring in 1981. During that time he attended Casper College, taking various electric engineering classes and also worked part time for K2 Television as a microwave technician. In 1973, he also rejoined the Army National Guard and proudly remained with them in Field Artillery as a Fire Direction Control Chief until he retired in 1989 with the rank of Sergeant 1st Class. While in the Army National Guard Lewis went on maneuvers in places such as South Korea and Germany.

After moving to Casper, and for many years after, Lewis was active in the Knights of Columbus and attained the 4th Degree in that organization.

From the time he left the Air Force until his health made it to difficult for him to continue, Lewis was an Amateur Radio Operator (also called a "Ham") on both the civilian and military (MARS) bands. After his retirement he became interested in computers, a subject he shared with his younger sister, Karen. He asked her to talk him through building his first computer from scratch as he felt that was the best way to learn how they worked. He continued with this passion until his death.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Clinton and Jennie Baker, his younger brother, Emmett Edwin Baker, and his youngest son, Donald Keith Baker. He is survived by his remaining four children, Gary Wayne Baker of Casper, James Richard Baker, of Richland, WA, Alyce Marie Stoddard of Petaluma, CA, and Barbara Christine Phillips of Casper, as well as, his younger sister, Karen Kathleen Giovetti of Billings, MT. He is also survived by 5 grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. He will be sorely missed by all.