Gary Baker, 56, of Omaha, died Wednesday, Aug. 18, 1999, at his home.

Services will be 10:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 23, at St. Luke United Methodist Church, 11810 Burke St., Omaha.

Visitation will be from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday at Campbell-Aman Funeral Home and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Heafey-Heafey-Hoffmann- Dworak-Cutler, 78th and Center in Omaha.

A graveside service will be in Forest Lawn Cemetery.

Gary Mark Baker was born Oct. 26, 1942, to Mark and Naomi Baker in Omaha.

He resided in Decatur for 14 years prior to moving to Kennard where he lived for five years. He graduated from Kennard High School in 1961.

In January of 1964, he entered the Navy and served until 1967.

He lived in Blair for 14 years.

In 1970, he received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska in Omaha.

He married Debbie Davis on Sept. 11, 1992.

He started the American Family in Blair, became state director in Illinois, and then served as Nebraska State Sales Director until his death.

He was with American Family for 25 years and was active in many civic activities. He served on the Blair City Council and on the Board of the Urban League of Nebraska. He was a member of the Blair Masonic Lodge and a recipient of the Community Service Award at Dana College in 1984.

He served as state chairman for the Nebraska Junior Miss Program from 1981 to 1984. Organized the first local Junior Miss in Blair in 1970, was involved in the Jaycees for many years, served as president of the Softball Association, coached the Fairway Oil Girls Softball Team, was deputy of the Women’s/Men’s Slow-pitch Commissioner for the State of Nebraska, and was a member of the Blair American Legion.

In 1973, he coached the Blair Feed Mill to the Men’s Major Slow Pitch State Championship and Fairway to the Ladies’ Major Slow Pitch State Championship.

He was the recipient of the Jim Lewis Award from the N.S.A. in 1971 and the Jim Hall Memorial Award from N.S.A. in 1976.

Note: His high school graduation date was 1960 rather than 1961.

~~~ Obituary courtesy of the Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair Public Library at Blair, Nebraska.~~~