Obituary of Helen Alice Baker

Helen Alice Baker, a longtime resident of Livingston Manor, NY, unexpectedly passed away Tuesday, October 31, 2017. She was 86. The daughter of the late Clarence and Alicia (Sheridan) Blume, she was born July 3, 1931 in Rockland, NY. Helen and her late husband Jack were married on December 9, 1951 and lived at 6 Dahlia Road and had 4 sons. Helen was a Licensed Practical Nurse and worked until her first son, Gary, was born. She stayed home and raised the "Baker Boys", which was very much a full time job. Helen Baker was the kind of person who liked things organized, neat and clean. "I remember offering to sweep the kitchen floor when I was about ten years old and got my first experience with how she wanted it done. I apparently used the wrong broom. I didn't realized there were two brooms, one for the downstairs and one for the upstairs," said her son Gary Baker. After her 4th son entered the United State Air Force, she reentered the work force again as a Licensed Practical Nurse and was employed by Sullivan County Nursing Home. She retired from there at age 65 and now had the time to spend on the things she loved most. She loved having her family and friends stop by the house for coffee and conversations to catch up on their lives. She traveled to a Baker family reunion where she visited with all the family and would be smiling and laughing. She was a loving mother who, like her husband, only wanted the best for her family and she would let you know if she thought you were making a poor decision. She liked her lawn trimmed and the small trees in the yard pruned just so. She would never let anything that she thought needed to be fixed go undone. She also loved to grow her own vegetables and many times I've heard from her neighbors that she was always tending the garden. She was also very involved with her grandchildren as they called almost every Friday. She was very happy to have them call and tell her all about their life. Helen Baker will very much be missed by many, but not forgotten. She is the sister of the late Marguerita Banks and Edna Blume. Helen is survived by 3 sons, Brad of New York, Jackie of Virginia and Gary of California. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 at Colonial-Bryant Funeral Home, 29 Pearl Street, Livingston Manor, NY 12758. A mass of Christian burial will follow at St. Aloysius Church. Burial will follow at Sullivan County Veterans Cemetery, Liberty, NY. Arrangements under the direction of Colonial-Bryant Funeral Homes, for further information call 845-439-4333 or visit www.colonialbryantfuneralhome.com