In Loving Memory of Stan Baker: 1935-2021

Posted
Chaplain (LTC) Walter Stanley “Stan” Baker, Jr. passed away Tuesday June 22, 2021. He was 86 years old. Stan was born February 10, 1935, in Dunn, N.C. to Mary Gladys Hart and Walter Stanley Baker, Sr. He was called to the Methodist ministry and after completing his degrees at High Point College and Emory University, he served two churches in western North Carolina between 1959 and 1965. He married for the first time and had two children, Walter and Jonell. In 1965 he joined the United States Army, and he served for 20 years as a chaplain. He completed two tours of Vietnam, providing spiritual support to soldiers from all faiths and backgrounds, and was stationed throughout the United States and Germany. 
For his service, he received numerous awards, ribbons, and medals including the Bronze Star Medal (4 OLC), the Meritorious Service Medal (2 OLC), the Air Medal, the Army Commendation Medal and others. 
At Ft. Jackson, S.C. he met Maureen Gayl Schroder, and they were married in August 1976. They raised two children, Darick and Marissa. In 1985, Stan retired from the military as a lieutenant colonel, ending his military career by serving as the chaplain at Madigan Army Medical Center on Ft. Lewis, Wash. After his military retirement, he served United Methodist churches in White Swan and Wapato, Wash., before coming to the Chehalis United Methodist Church where he served from Feb. 1990 to July 1997. In his later life, he was very involved with the Lewis County Veterans Memorial Museum, where he served as a board member since 2006 and as general president from 2010 to 2014. 
Stan was known for his quick sense of humor, his southern charm, his unrelenting faith, and his willingness to drop everything to help others. Up until his death he made it a point to visit or call community members in the hospital or long-term care to provide friendship and spiritual support. Stan was an admired member of the community, a confidant and friend to many, and at his core a soldier of devout Christian faith. 
Stan was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, JoAnn Cameron; and his son, Walter. He is survived by his beloved wife, Maureen; his three children, Jonell Moore (Jack), Darick (Amanda) and Marissa (Elliot Throssell); and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 
Following cremation, Stan will be interred with full military honors at Tahoma National Cemetery. A memorial service open to Stan’s community will be held at the Chehalis United Methodist Church, 16 S. Market Blvd (date and time pending). 
In lieu of flowers, Stan has requested that donations be made to the Chehalis United Methodist Church or the Lewis County Veterans Memorial Museum.