Franklyn James Baker

Born January 15, 1924 Malta, Montana – Passed November 14, 2012 Bothell, Washington

A celebration of Frank’s life will be held at the Richmond Beach Congregational Church, November 24th, 2012 at 1pm. 512 NW 195th St. Shoreline, WA 98177

Survived by wife: Wilma Baker; sister Fairy McWilliams (Hobart); brothers Dan Baker (Lois) and Fred Baker (Lucy); daughters Mary Johnson, Becky Wagner (Eddie) and Ranae Waschke; sons, Barney Baker (Maureen) and Nathan Baker(Star); Mark Waschke, and Terry Waschke (Martha); many grandchildren, and many great grandchildren. Preceded in death by: Brothers Duane Baker, Bob Baker, Dick Baker; and Son Dorian Baker. 

Frank grew up, the oldest of seven children, in Nashua Montana, on the banks of the Milk River, not far from its confluence with the Missouri. After high school Frank left Montana for the west coast. He worked in a shipyard for a time before entering the Army.

In France and Germany during World War II, he served under General George Patton as an artilleryman. After the war he returned home to Montana, and then back to the west coast. He was soon accepted to the University of Washington where he joined the Air Force ROTC. During his college days he met Kathleen Dupuis, a grad student from Canada. They were married and eventually had four children. 

After graduating from the University of Washington, College of Engineering in 1951 with a BS in civil engineering, Frank was assigned to McCord Air Force Base as a commissioned officer. Frank later moved to Paine Air Force Base in Everett, Washington. There, he worked as a civilian, but remained in the Air Force Reserves. In the early 1960s Frank went to work for Civil Defense (which later became FEMA). His tenure began with the Cuban missile crisis and the big Anchorage earthquake, and spanned two decades, concluding with the eruption of Mount Saint Helens. 


In 1969 Frank married Wilma Jones Waschke. They blended their two families giving them seven children total. Wilma and her family had long been involved with the Grange, an organization which Frank embraced with gusto. He and Wilma were active in their local, county, state and national Grange organizations for many decades. 

After retiring from FEMA, Frank went to work for an old friend who had an engineering company, Duffy Laver and Kumph, in downtown Seattle. During the 1980s and 90s he directed many large projects with the Port of Seattle and with the Burlington Northern Railroad. Around the turn of the century he retired again; this time for good. But Frank remained active, working with Grange and other organizations throughout western Washington promoting and supporting small scale farming.

Frank battled with medical problems from 2004 – when he was in a serious car accident that damaged his lungs – until he finally succumbed to prostate cancer, and complications, on November 14, 2012. Always the stoic soldier, Frank almost never complained about pain, but always worried about the welfare of his family and friends. His life was truly an epic tale.

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