Cloudy, 55° F
(December 18, 2001)
Terry Wade Baker, 45, died of cancer Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2001, in his Powell home.
Memorial services will be conducted Friday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. at the Powell Church of Christ. Time will be set aside for some to share personal remarks during the service. If you want to take part, please contact Johnny Hill at 754-3861.
He was born Sept. 10, 1956, in St. Albans, Vt., the son of Kenneth and Jean Baker. He lived in Richford, Vt., for the first 13 years of his life before the family moved to St. Albans.
There he attended Bellows Free Academy, where he graduated in 1974. He spent one year studying photography at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, N. Y., before transferring to Northeastern University in Boston to study journalism.
He graduated from Northeastern University in 1980 with a bachelor's degree in arts and sciences with a major in journalism. While at Northeastern, he was an award-winning columnist for the college paper. He also worked 15 months at the Littleton (N. H.) Courier through the university's cooperative education program. It was during this time that he developed a broad range of skills and his love for community journalism.
Following graduation, he was named editor of the Hanover (N.H.) Gazette, a weekly newspaper serving several communities. He acted as a one-person news staff for most of the eight months he held the position before the paper folded.
He spent the next 13 years as a reporter and editor at the Littleton Courier where he won awards for column writing from both the New Hampshire Press Association and the New England Press Association. He was recognized by the town government and the school board of Littleton for his fairness and accuracy in reporting.
While in Littleton, he attended the Lancaster Church of Christ where he met Holly Neuhauser. After winning her over with his entertaining cross country skiing follies, they were married on Dec. 18, 1982. Their son, Christopher James, was born in 1986.
The family moved to Powell in 1994, where he began work as a reporter for The Powell Tribune, eventually being named editor, a position he held at the time of his death. He covered the education beat at The Tribune along with various high school and college sports teams, winning writing awards from the Wyoming Press Association. He received the School Bell Award from the Wyoming Education Association for his coverage of education in 1995-96. He was named Citizen of the Year by the Powell Elks Club 1997-98. He was a member of the Powell Recreation District board of directors from 1997 until November 2001, serving the last year as chairman.
He was an avid golfer, a curse he passed on to his son. He started the annual Parent/Child golf tournament at the Powell Golf Club five years ago. He especially enjoyed hiking with his wife in the mountains surrounding Powell and they never tired of sharing the beauty of Yellowstone National Park together.
He was a member of the Powell Church of Christ, and relied deeply on his faith and the help of his church family to get through this trial.
He leaves his wife Holly; one son, CJ; his parents Kenneth and Jean Baker of Murphy, N.C.; a sister, Melody Baker of Cambridge, Mass.; aunts and uncles; and several cousins.
In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to the Rod Decker Fund, care of First National Bank & Trust, P.O. Box 907, Powell, Wyo. 82435. Rod, of Powell, has been fighting a long hard battle with leukemia.
