Obituary of Vernon J. Baker

Thurman: Vernon J. Baker, Jr., 50, of High Street, passed away peacefully, Friday, December 3, 2010 at his home in his wife’s arms following a courageous battle with cancer. Born April 10, 1960 in Glens Falls, he was the son of the late Vernon and Bertrice (Cameron) Baker. Vern graduated from Warrensburg Central School in 1979 where he was the starting quarterback on the football team. He also played forward on the school basketball team. Vern grew up in his father’s garage doing all kinds of mechanical work along with his father, Vernon, Sr. He became very proficient in welding, auto body, and repairing heavy equipment for many of the local loggers and contractors. Additionally, the business grew to include Bakers Motorsports store which provided ATV and snowmobile repair and the supply of parts and accessories. He had a great passion for Arctic Cat products and greatly enjoyed working on them. He was an extremely competent woodworker, which was evident in the building and decorating of his families log home that he, his wife, and his children built in Thurman. Vern was a founding member and past president of the Thurman Connection Snowmobile Club for many years. He took great pride in working on the trails and snowmobiling thereafter with many of his closest friends. He was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed hunting and fishing. In his younger years, his time was spent building and racing his 6 Pack Jr. stockcar at many of the local racetracks. He loved Hudson and AMC classic cars. Above all else, spending time in Garnet Lake camping and fishing with his wife and children was his greatest pleasure. Besides his parents, he is predeceased by his uncles: Jamon and Floyd Baker, Gordon, William, Leonard, Gerald, and John Cameron; his aunts: Marguerite and Joan Cameron, his dog, Yogi and good friend Russ Combs. He is survived by his beloved wife, Amy Combs-Baker of Athol; his children: Kendal and Vernon James (Gage) Baker, III of Thurman; his stepchildren: Cy, Casey, and Carter Combs of Warrensburg; his sisters: Linda Baker Marcella and her husband, Clifford Gates of Warrensburg; Lorraine Baker of Thurman; and Louisa Allen and her husband, Patrick of Thurman; his in-laws, Barb and Bill Wagner; sister and brother in-law, Kathy and Dave Hall; his aunts: Karma Smith and her husband, Ernie; Grace Flynn, Joyce Baker, Lillian Reed and Mabel Baker; along with several nieces, nephews, and cousins. Friends may call on Vern’s family from 5 to 8 pm, Monday, December 6, 2010, at the Alexander-Baker Funeral Home, 3809 Main St., Warrensburg. A funeral service to celebrate his life will be conducted at 11 am, Tuesday at the funeral home with fond memories shared by close friends. His family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the many individuals who helped support Vern along this journey, especially Dr. Paul Bachman, Ed Brayman, Robin Fifield, Gil Wescott, all of his friends at the Thurman Connection Snowmobile Club, the staff at the Warrensburg Central School, Dave Binder, Mike DeCosimo, Roy and Jamie Ross, Joe and Karen DeLuca, High Peaks Hospice, Dana Scherer, George Schuster, and LouAnn Eldridge. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may take the form of donations to an account for Vern’s children, Kendal and Gage, trust funds at any TD Bank location. Please visit www.alexanderfh.net for online guestbook, condolences and directions.