William Roy Baker

William Roy (Bill) Baker

Born: May 22, 1930, Detroit, Michigan

Died: December 3, 2020, Charlotte, North Carolina

Bill graduated from Redford High School, Detroit Michigan where he was a member of the football and rifle teams and earned the rank of Eagle Scout.

With the assistance of his brother, George Baker, Bill attended University of Detroit graduating with a B.S. in Civil Engineering and becoming a Registered Professional Engineer.  While working for the C&O Railroad he designed a loading mechanism for the Ludington docks that is still in use today.  Another project while working for the railroad was to get “The Allegheny” locomotive into The Henry Ford Museum. He later designed rail cars to carry automobiles for Whitehead & Kales in River Rouge, Michigan and Thrall Car in Winder, Georgia.

In 1955, Bill married Pamela Tarplee, and celebrated 65 years of marriage in September.  They had two children Jennifer (Thomas Zaracki) of Charlotte, North Carolina and Matthew of Cheyenne, Wyoming and one granddaughter, Chelsea Frid, of Frankfort, Germany.

He had many interests including being an avid deer hunter, fisherman, woodworker, gardener, sailor and enjoyed listening to classical music.  While living in Michigan Bill built and raced DN Iceboats on Cass Lake.  He was the ultimate Mr. Fix-it repairing anything that broke around the house rather than replacing it.

In retirement Bill was involved with several organizations including the Georgia Hosta Society, Southern Wings Bird Club, and the Gwinnett Woodworkers  Association  He received Volunteer of the Year Award for sharing his woodworking skills and teaching building of bird houses at the Charlie Elliot Wildlife Center.

Bill and Pamela loved travel and explored over 60 counties worldwide.  They shared thier love of travel with Chelsea taking her to Ireland and Greece as a teenager.  This sparked her interest in international exploration leading to her relocation to Europe.

In 2020, Bill and Pamela left their beloved home, gardens and neighbors in Lawrenceville, Georgia relocating to Charlotte, North Carolina to be closer to Jennifer and Tom.

Burial of his remains and a celebration of life will be held in Michigan next summer when the weather has warmed and COVID has subsided. If lieu of flowers, if desired, please make donations in his honor to Southern Wings Bird Club, c/o Sharon Eifert, 2160 St. Thomas Way, Suwanee, GA  30024