James E. Baker, 91, of Hyattsville, MD, passed away August 18, 2023 in White Oak Medical Center, Silver Spring, MD. He received his Masters degree from the University of Maryland and his PhD from North Carolina State University, and completed Post Doctorate work at Cornell University. Dr. Baker went on to work and retired as a research scientist from the Beltsville Agriculture Research Center, at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Jim was a quiet person and a serious researcher. He liked to hunt and fish and was a member of the Lecompte Hunting Club. He was a passionate car enthusiast, active in car rallying with his prized BMW. He loved to travel and entertain with his wife Dorothy, who passed away in 2020. He was preceded in death by his parents, Floyd and Dora Justus Baker. Dr. Baker is survived by a niece, Debra Morrash (Columbia, SC) a great nephew, Matthew Morrash (Alexandria, VA) and many friends.
A visitation will be held Saturday August 26, 2023 at 10 am followed by a service at 11 am at the Gasch's Funeral Home, 4739 Baltimore Avenue Hyattsville, MD 20781. Internment will be at 12pm at the Fort Lincoln Cemetery, 3401 Bladensburg Road, Brentwood, MD.
The family would like to acknowledge and thank Jim's loyal caregiver, Bertha Debrah, for her dedicated and loving care of both Jim and Dorothy over the last five years. They would also like to thank Jim's personal care physician Dr. Tom Maslen, as well as Dr. Francisco Hoyos, Dr. Kristin Hoover, and the CCU staff at the White Oak CCU for their professional and compassionate care and treatment during his time in the hospital.