In Memory
Gail H. Baker
Feb. 10, 1945 - Mar. 20, 1999
Gail H. Baker, 54, residing on North Chestnut, Osceola, Ind., passed away at 1:10 p.m. on Saturday, March 20, in Rawlins, Wyo., as the result of a motor vehicle accident.
Mr. Baker worked for Four Winds International in Elkhart, Ind., and transported recreational vehicles for the past 12 years.
Gail was born on Feb. 10, 1945, in Ashtabula, Ohio, and had lived in Osceola for the past 21 years. He was a member of the Deer Run Church of Christ in South Bend, and was a United States Army veteran.
On Sept. 27, 1973, in South Bend, he married the former Nancy (Likes) Bowersox, who survives.
He is also survived by three daughters, Jane D'orazio of Limerick, Pa., Betsy Griffin of Elkhart and Bianca Baker of Osceola; a son, Hal Baker of Chicago, Ill.; a stepdaughter, Angi Smith of Niles, Mich.; a stepson, Tony Cooke of Tampa, Fla.; six grandchildren, twin baby girls, Anna Marie and Isabella Rose D'orazio, Nicholas and Shannon Smith, Amanda and Derek Cooke; his mother, Eleanore Mae (Profant) Baker of Paradise, Calif.; and by a brother, Michael Baker of Paradise, Calif.
Gail's father, Gail Herbert Baker, preceded him in death.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 27, at the Northway Church of Christ, 19525 Auten Road, South Bend. Rev. Ed Erskin, pastor of the church, will officiate. Graveside services and burial will follow at Olive Cemetery West, Wakarusa, Ind.
Friends may call from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, March 26, at the Palmer Funeral home, 2528 Mishawaka Avenue, South Bend, and one hour prior to services at the church on Saturday.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Michiana Christian Service Camp, 1619 Steinbauer Road, Niles, MI 49120.
Published in the South Bend Tribune - March 24, 1999.
12/02/2021 DEC
Gail H. Baker, 54, of Osceola, was killed Saturday in Wyoming in a fiery crash that took the lives of two other men.
The accident happened about 1:15 p.m. Saturday on Interstate 80, about a mile east of Rawlins, Wyo., the Wyoming Highway Patrol said.
Also killed in the accident were John Medina, 48, and Levi Gonzales, 73, both of Laramie, Wyo.
At the time he died, Mr. Baker, who worked for Four Winds International Corp., Elkhart, was driving a motor home he intended to deliver in Reno, Nev., said his son, Hal Baker.
Gail Baker had left on the trip last Thursday, his son said.
Rawlins is a southern Wyoming town of about 9,300 residents about midway between Laramie and Rock Springs.
Investigators said Baker was driving west on Interstate 80 when, for reasons not known, the motor home went into the median. The motor home crossed into the eastbound lanes, where it collided head-on with an eastbound pickup truck driven by Medina, officials said.
Both vehicles spun and exploded into flames.
All three men were pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators said the weather was clear and sunny at the time of the accident.
Though the highway passes through a rural, hilly area, the road at the accident scene is fairly straight and clear, officials said.
Mr. Baker had celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary last summer with his wife, Nancy, Hal Baker said.
Palmer Funeral Home, South Bend, is in charge of arrangements.
Published in the South Bend Tribune - March 24, 1999.
12/02/2021 DEC
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