Katherine H. Baker
Katherine “Kay” Alice Hemphill Baker passed away December 30, 2021 at the age of 86. She was born in Broughton, Kansas in 1935 and moved to Susanville, California with her family a few years later. After graduating from Lassen High School, she attended UC Berkeley, where she pursued her love of singing by joining one of its many singing organizations and met the love of her life, Don. They were married August 10, 1958, and returned to Lassen County where they joined the community of educators and started a family.
Church played an important part in her life, and she and Don were part of the choir for decades. They also were active members in the local Elks Lodge and Emblem Club and enjoyed several years of traveling to participate in various events.
Kay’s hobbies were reading, genealogy which included writing down family stories for her children and grandchildren, photography (she loved creating and sharing a visual history of any family gathering), and fashion, priding herself on having an outfit complete with shoes and accessories for any occasion.
After retiring, she volunteered at the local chamber of commerce until she took on the role of Granny Nanny after the birth of her twin granddaughters. Enjoying her new life as “Glamma” she often adopted grandchildren, especially at Starbucks where she was a regular customer, who all greeted her as Grandma Kay.
When her husband died, she decided to sell their multi-leveled home and buy a smaller one-story house. She fell in love with the first one she looked at and loved telling everyone she was an 82-year-old woman buying a house from an 86-year-old woman. She enjoyed her yard and hosting get-togethers on her patio. She was very generous with family and friends and contributed to her church and local charities on a regular basis.
Kay was proceeded in death by her husband, Don Baker; parents, Laura and Maurice Hemphill; and daughter-in-law, Tammy Baker. She is survived by her sister, Patti Bolton; daughter, Lynne Sella (Greg); her son, Doug Baker; grandsons Lucas and Jacob Baker; granddaughters, Katie Anderson (Josh) and Sarah Sella-Hubbard (Aaron); and great-grandson Brody Anderson as well as numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.
Services will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, January 29th at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Susanville with a reception to follow.
