Obituary for Phyllis Baker

Phyllis Baker

(November 14, 1927 – December 11, 2016)

She was born on November 14, 1927, to Nelle Babcock Trout and Ernest M. Trout in Ponca City, Oklahoma and died at home on Sunday, December 11, 2016. She attended city schools and Oklahoma State University with membership in the honor society Phi Kappa Phi. She was also a member of the social fraternity Kappa Alpha Theta.

On October 12, 1946, she was married to Lt. Ellis C. Baker of Stillwater, Oklahoma, a USAF fighter pilot who was also a fighter Ace. They honeymooned in Japan where he was currently stationed and where they lived for the next two years. They were then stationed in the states at a series of Air Force bases until 1955 when they were transferred to NATO and based in France just outside of Paris. Returning to the states four years later in 1959, they now had four children, the last of whom was born in France. Following assignments in Mississippi and Florida, Ellis retired from military service, and they moved back to Sacramento, California, as they had always planned.

Phyllis attended California State University there and graduated with honors. Ellis passed away in 1974 at which time she began a career with the State of California working in Sacramento Headquarters administration of the 11 state hospitals. By the time of her retirement from the state service in 1991, she had become Chief of Administrative and Support Services for the state hospitals. Her activities outside of work included membership in Sacramento Symphony League, Kappa Alpha Theta Alumna Group, Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.), Swiss Ladies Society, Renaissance Society and Peabody Conservatory Piano Group. She served for several years as a National Director for the Navy League of the United States, and on the Executive Board of the Air Force Association. She was also a member of Trinity Episcopal Church, where she volunteered in many areas, such as Sunday School, Altar Guild, Vacation Bible School, et al. Other volunteer work included serving as an Ombudsman in the state nursing facilities for ten years. In 2003 she was married to Robert G. Gehrig, and they resided in Carmichael, traveled extensively, and participated in the activities of a number of organizations.

Phyllis loved music and was gifted with the ability to play the piano by ear or by sheet music. She wrote ballads, which a friend sang at the Peabody gatherings every year, and which other attendees looked forward to with much appreciation. She also wrote poetry, and gave each of her children most of the selections preserved in a binder. She loved her family, her children and her three big brothers.

She is survived by her husband Robert and her daughter, Phyllis and her daughter Jeanne and Jeanne’s husband, Paul. Her sons, Robert (Skip) and Douglas (Scott) predeceased her as did her three brothers and her parents. She has eight grandchildren – Elisabeth, Natalie, Michael, Daniel, Kaitlin, Kendra, Jennifer and Mariah. She also has four great grand children – Halle, Harper, Retlee, and Krew.

A committal ceremony will be held at 1:00 pm, Wednesday, December 28, 2016 in Resthaven Cemetery in Ponca City, where she will lie between her husband and oldest son.

Source: Trout Funeral Home