Keith Baker

OBITUARY
Keith Elder Baker
SEPTEMBER 11, 1926 – MARCH 6, 2021
Obituary of Keith Elder Baker
Urbandale, IA
Keith Elder Baker, beloved husband and father, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on March 6, 2021 at MercyOne Hospice in Johnston. He was 94 years old. He was born the youngest of three children to Halleck Floyd and Ufa May (Elder) Baker on September 11, 1926 at the farm home near Allerton and Clio in Wayne County, Iowa. He was educated at Higley Country School, a one-room school, and graduated from Allerton High School in 1944. He farmed the home farm from 1944 – 1962 and was especially fond of tending to his Hampshire sheep. During the Korean War, he served with the 7th Division from 1951-1953. He was a Corporal and mortar gunner in Company E, 31st Infantry Regiment and received the Combat Infantryman badge. After the war, he returned to the farm until 1962 when he moved to Des Moines and worked at Schmitt and Henry Manufacturing Company and Eagle Iron Works from which he retired in 1990. He married Nancy Paddock on December 28, 1963, and they were blessed with two daughters, who were his treasures.

A visitation will be at McLaren’s Chapel on Wednesday, March 10, from 4 to 6 PM. A private family service will be at McLaren’s Chapel on Thursday, March 11, at 1 PM. Keith’s family invites his friends to join them electronically via Facebook Livestream. A public graveside will be held after the service on Thursday, March 11, at 2 PM at Resthaven Cemetery.

His hobbies included horseshoes in which he twice attained 2nd in the top class in Iowa, competed in world horseshoe tournaments and was inducted into the Iowa Hawkeye Horseshoe Pitchers Hall of Fame. He was a big sports fan and followed the University of Iowa, Drake basketball, the Detroit Tigers, and regularly attended the Iowa Girls State Basketball Tournament. He was an avid vegetable gardener with a huge backyard garden at his longtime home in Clive. After retirement, he started baking pies (134 varieties) which were eagerly awaited at various potlucks. He competed regularly in the Senior Olympics since they began in Iowa in 1987 and advanced to several National Senior Olympics. He was inducted into the Iowa Senior Olympics Hall of Fame and won a gold medal in horseshoes at the National games. In wintertime, he enjoyed playing pool at the local senior centers. He and Nancy travelled to many states along with overseas trips including to New Zealand, Fiji, Australia, Mexico, Denmark, other European countries, and a Caribbean cruise. He was an active member of Windsor Presbyterian Church serving as Deacon, usher, and on the Building and Grounds committee. For a number of years, he and Nancy led the church senior fellowship group.

He is survived by his wife, Nancy; daughters, Ellen of Minneapolis, and Molly (Aaron Shineflew) of Des Moines; step-grandson, Kyus Shineflew; niece, Janet (Danny) Sheets and nephew, Kenny (Lisa) Baker, and other nieces, nephews and cousins around the country. He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Luree Straup, and brother, Ried Baker, all of Allerton.

Memorials can be made to Windsor Presbyterian Church, the Iowa Hawkeye Horseshoe Pitchers Association (IHHPA), or the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Greater Des Moines (NAMI Greater Des Moines).

“Home is the sailor, home from the sea, And the hunter home from the hill.”