Donald F. Baker, Jr., 78, passed away September 25, 2019 at his residence in South Hutchinson, Kansas.

On a lonely road far from home thinking of times gone by, I wonder at the man who was my father.  Donald Florin Baker, Jr. by name, but to me he will always be Dad.  Dad was born August 12, 1941 in Hutchinson, Kansas, a small town in the middle of the country.  Stories of his youth are sparse, and those who knew him, who I've tried to contact know little.  He attended Buhler High School in Buhler, Kansas and was a graduate of this school in 1959.  I did learn that later he attended basic training in the United States Army, and was a clerk and typist.  Later finding that his skills were suited in a more challenging career in the military, he attended Jump school and Ranger training, and achieving a Master Jump Badge and Sniper tab.  He went on to be a Sniper in the United States Army for a few years in the Vietnam Conflict.  However, like some of his time, he did not always comply with military standards and had a continual conflict with authority, and left the military for various reasons.  I know some of his list of awards were 1 Silver Star, 3 Bronze Stars, 3 Purple Hearts, an ARCOM and 2 AAM's.  Yet his legacy continued.  In the following years Dad married and had a few children, namely my elder siblings.  Dondi Lynn Bender, my one and only sister who preceded  him in death, my eldest brother Joseph Scott Baker, and youngest of the eldest, if you will, Mark Allen Baker.  Both hard working men in there own right.  As for his wife, Jean Baker, his first love, I believe even High School sweethearts, were together for a number of years, yet it was not meant to be and later divorced... more on this later.  As with most men of the times, he wished to provide for his family, and had many odd jobs until he was able to learn a quality trade.  Learning the art of Logistical relocation, he became a Logistical Relocation Specialist, also known as a Truck Driver, the company for whom he started with escapes me, I know the last company who he drove for was Rawhide Trucking, originally out of Hutchinson, Kansas, and that his total driving time exceeded 36 years of driving, and he was forced to retire from driving in 1996 due to illness, and chronic heart problems.

Some of you may wonder who I am, William Kim Baker, by name, and I have a younger brother Robert Franklin Baker, thus completing the children he claimed.  My mother was his second wife, Patricia Kay Carpenter was her name.  My father though being who he was, had a love of two things in his life, alcohol and women, both would forever get him in trouble.  Thus as you may guess, they divorced,  when I  was nine years old.  His third wife was Viki, and I learned what it was to be a step brother to three sisters, Cristy, Marie, and Susan, I know not their last names now.  Needless to say that marriage did not last.  Dad was married a few times more, a total of five more times, and is rumored to have more than 5 kids, but I digress.

Among other jobs that I am aware of, Dad was an Engineer for Cotton Belt Railroad, a short order Cook for many restaurants, a business owner, even a store greeter, and he also worked almost 20 years at the Kansas State Fair, and most of all he was a Father, our Dad.  Yes, he tossed around the old football, and played catch and all that, but mostly he showed his kids two things, hard work and dedication to a job.  He was meticulous in his record keeping skills, and ensured everyone was taken care of.  Bills were paid on time or at least regularly and kept good records.  And his pension for adopting more children along the way...  I don't know how many he adopted, but there are several people I know that referred to him as Dad.  Even my own friends growing up called him Dad.  At times I think that was is real name... this Don or Donald character... that was just a title he used for work.

To be continued...