Barbara Baker died on May 25, 2011, at a hospice near her home in Springdale, Ohio, after a short illness. Her husband was at her side as she passed quietly in her sleep from a cause to be determined.

She was born in Albert Lea on Oct. 16, 1930, the daughter of Victor S. Anderson and Irene (Zabel) Anderson. Following graduation from Albert Lea High School with the class of 1948, she attended the Mercy School of Nursing and St. Ambrose/Marycrest Colleges, all in Davenport, Iowa. On Aug. 19, 1950, she married John Baker at Salem Lutheran Church in Albert Lea. Before becoming a fulltime homemaker, she worked mostly in medical facilities, last as safety director and employee health coordinator for Mercy Hospital in Hamilton, Ohio.

Surviving are her husband, John, of Springdale, Ohio; sister, Marlene Overgaard, of Albert Lea; brother, Lynn Anderson, of Kasson; sister-in-law, Joyce Cardi, of Upper Arlington, Ohio; brother-in-law, Kent Baker, of Rohnert Park, Calif.; and 12 nieces and nephews and their families.

She enjoyed gardening, sewing, playing bridge, photography and her Tibetan Terrier dogs. A particular enthusiasm was adult literacy, which she taught in both classroom and one-on-one venues. Sadly, she just missed the joy of seeing the first visitors of the year at her hummingbird feeders.

Interment will be at Lakewood Cemetery in Albert Lea. No local services are planned.