Lois Baker

Lois Baker, 97, of Missoula, passed away on Friday, May 23, 2014, (which would have been her husband's 99th birthday) at Community Medical Center, of natural causes.

Lois was born on March 20, 1917, in Deer Lodge to Clarence and Sophia Pierce. She and her brother, Marvin, grew up in Deer Lodge and she graduated from Powell County High School in 1935.

Lois married Herbert A. Baker on Oct. 3, 1937. They enjoyed 73 wonderful years together until his death on Feb. 3, 2011. After they were married, Lois and Herb had a daughter, Dana Rae, who was born in Deer Lodge on June 6, 1940, and a son, Herbert Alan, who was born in Superior on March 30, 1946.

After spending 15 years in Superior, they moved to Missoula, where they spent the rest of their lives working and raising their family. Lois was able to raise a family and have a successful career at a time when most mothers did not work outside the home. She worked for the State of Montana Department of Highways and it was a great source of pride for Lois to be the first female Right of Way Agent.

Her professional affiliations included Senior Membership status with the American Right of Way Association and being a 25-year member of the International Right of Way Association. Lois was the American Right of Way Association agent of the Year in 1972 and she received the James W. Couture Professional of the Year award in 1993. She was a member of Eastern Star and faithfully supported her husband's long involvement with the Shriners.

After they retired, Herb and Lois enjoyed traveling around the world, camping, fishing and playing cards with family and friends. They truly loved spending time with their family, especially sharing and making lasting memories with their great-grandchildren and their great-great-grandchildren.

Lois was especially proud of her Swedish ancestry and would often share stories of her family's immigration to the United States in 1867. After many years of genealogy research and correspondence, Lois made the journey to Sweden in 2009 to attend a family reunion and it was one of the highlights of her life. Lois learned she was a descendent of a long line of strong women and that characteristic was an obvious attribute recognized by her family.

Lois was well known for her generosity and long-lasting friendships. She nurtured a sense of strong values, kindness and an unconditional love within her family. Her sense of loyalty and commitment to her friends and community was second only to that obligation to her family. She was also known for giving a great back rub and always defined the true meaning of being the one and only "Nana" in the family.

Lois was preceded in death by her parents, brother, husband, and children. She is survived by her four grandchildren, Mike (Deb) Bailey, Gary (Gail) Bailey all of Superior, Debbie (Rick) Woodard of Gillette, Wyoming, and Guy (Kara) Baker of Missoula; 11 great-grandchildren, Julie (Jeremy) Guernsey, Nick (Jen) Woodard, Jess (Jack) Harbison, Zach Woodard all of Gillette, Amber (Jason) Erickson of Saco, Brittney (Sam) Gardner of Alberton, Kelci (Bobby) Parge and Trevor Bailey of Superior, and Dylan, Branson and Rylan Baker of Missoula; 12 great- great-grandchildren; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

The family would like to recognize the special friendships of Sophie, Cheryl, Kathy and Cathy and their attentive care for our Nana during the recent past. We would also like to thank the staff at Missoula Community Medical Center for their support and compassion during the last week of her life. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made in her honor to the Shriners Children's Hospital, 911 W. Fifth Ave., Spokane, WA 99204.

A memorial service will be held at Garden City Funeral Home on Monday June 9 at 10 a.m. with a reception to follow
Read Lois Baker's Obituary and Guestbook on www.missoulafuneralhomes.com.