Richard John Baker

Richard John Baker passed away suddenly on the nineteenth of July, 2026 in Falls Church, Virginia, at the age of 90 years. Born and raised in Chicago, Richard was the oldest of six children born to Mary Elizabeth Conley and Fred Palmer Baker.

Richard attended Holy Cross College in Massachusetts on a Navy scholarship and after graduation he proudly served as a US naval officer. He received a masters degree in Mathematics from Michigan State University, which he attended together with his beloved wife, the late Joanne Mary Baker (née Jasper).

Always active, he had many hobbies, including beekeeping, square dancing, bicycling, kayaking, hiking, camping and astronomy. He loved puzzles, sudoku and was always up for a card game. He kept busy with many interesting projects, tinkering, repairing and making home improvements. He retired early from his career in the Department of Defense as an operations research analyst, and was very active in the last thirty-five years of his life, traveling the world, supporting the circus arts and giving generously to charitable causes. He participated in many community activities and enjoyed socializing and dining out with friends.

He prioritized spending time with his extended family, including his five siblings, nieces and nephews, five children, eighteen grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. His grandchildren loved watching him perform magic tricks, learning to ride a unicycle from him, and admiring his vast collections of artefacts.

In the last year of his life he was delighted to be recognized as a Canadian citizen by descent from his grandmother Letitia Maude Church of Nova Scotia. A funeral mass was held August 6th at his longtime parish church, Queen of Apostles, in Alexandria, Virginia, and burial with military honors followed at the National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico.