We are so incredibly sorry for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers for Jennifer and the entire family during this difficult time. Love you all very much 🙏🏻♥️

Love, 
Terri and Craig Burt

Sending love and prayers to you and your family, Jennifer stay strong ❤️🙏


Bruce, our son-in-law savored life to the fullest. He never missed a moment of beauty in nature, art, song, good food and drink, sport and most of all his family and friends. He saw potential in everyone and did his best to encourage them to reach for the stars. The magical side of life in truth is defined by the lens through which we see. Adjust and clean the lens and let the sparkle shine vividly. It's all in how you look at life. Through a cleaner lens you can see the beauty and potential everywhere you look. Thank you, Bruce, for shining your light on us. You are loved and missed by us all.
 With Love, Fred & Jan

Baker,  I will miss you Brother! I can not think about you without getting teary eyed. Thank you for all the fun memories. 
 I am sorry for you and your immediate family. I am equally, sorry for your work family. The staff and students at OHS will miss you something fierce.  None of us, saw this coming. 
I am sorry, you did not make it back to New Zealand. One day, I am going to New Zealand for you.  When I go-I am taking apiece of you with me. I am going to bring that bottle of "Coriela 2014 Syrah" wine you gave me- when we first met.  I am bringing a baseball, glove and bat with me. My outfit will be bright colors with floral prints, with a map of the United States on it. This is a nod to your travel across America last summer. My last stop will be Texas. I know you enjoyed it there and I will eat steak for you:)  Farewell my Friend. I am upset that you retired before me and will get to meet Jesus before I do! 
Rest in Peace my friend, my brother. I miss you now and forever!
I will miss you!

It was a beautiful ceremony. I was touched by what Corinna Baker said, “He made everything magical!”

Bruce was such a rockstar! When he and Jennifer lived up in Paso Robles he taught at my high school and kids would come up to me starry eyed asking me if he was really my cousin. He was like some kind of celebrity and they loved him at Templeton High. It was such a great and unique experience to see him as a student teacher. I’m so saddened I won’t get to see his big smiling face again. Love ya cuz. 

I will miss you Baker. I know we joked about everything, but I never got a chance to tell you the great person you were. I loved how much you cared for your family and friends. I also loved hearing about your traveling adventures. I was looking forward to hitting the cruise with you this year.  Thank you for always being available for me. I wish I could have just one last beer with you. Cheers buddy! You will be missed. 

I attended the Service today for Bruce. It was beautiful and heart warming. I wanted to let you all know that Bruce was loved by all on campus. I worked with him for years in the Sped Dept and his dry wit and sense of humor was infectious. He and I bantered back and forth with sarcasm and quick one-liners. His students loved him. The OHS Staff loved him. All of SPED will miss him, and I’ll miss my jokester buddy. Thank you for allowing me to be at his Service today. Your family will always have him in their hearts…and the memories are endless.
Thank you,
Michael Hyde

April 2023. Westpac Stadium Wellington New Zealand.

Thanks for the memories you helped create for Yvonne, Nicole, Sean and myself.  Every moment with you had been full of joy as well as a great learning opportunity.  Your wisdom and knowledge about so many things were absolutely beyond belief.  
We were looking forward to meeting up again before your retirement on 30 June 2028.  
Bumabulibay my friend. Rest In Peace. 

One of my favorite pics of Bruce❣️ He truly was a wild and crazy guy who knew how to enjoy life and have fun. He didn’t care what anyone thought either. I remember this moment so well. He’d yell out, “YEAAAAHHHH”, super loud then throw up his rock on 🤘🏻🤩🤘🏻It was hysterical 😆  but not sure if the other boaters were enjoying it so much, LOL!! 

Another Humphreys concert by boat with Jen and friends 🎶🚤 😃 

Christmas 🎄 party at the house 🏠 on Willow! Check out this beautiful couple 😍 😍 Bruce had style and pizazz❣️ 

Bruce and Jennifer’s wedding day 💒 It was so evident my friend Bruce was the happiest man alive as he was marrying the girl of his dreams❣️ He was so handsome and she just absolutely stunning 😍 My ❤️ heart ❤️ was bursting with joy for them on this day❣️

One of my all-time favorite memories with Bruce! He invited me to an Al Jarreau concert at Humphreys by the Bay. It was a beautiful, cloudy ☁️  evening and the music 🎶  was so great❣️ And then the skies opened up about mid concert  🌧️  and people began to flee 😳 Luckily I brought my wool trench-coat  so Bruce and I ducked under it happily as Al kept on playing for only the hard-core music lovers, which stayed to groove on❣️❣️❣️

Bruce back in the day before he met Jen! He really appreciated a good cigar, wine, food, art, and music! And he could dance like a maniac 🕺🏻🕺🏻🕺🏻

We will always love and appreciate who Bruce Baker was to us and what he did for our Department. With a larger than life personality, we could always count on him for a great story about his latest adventure or how the district was “trying to screw us”! From tossing the football with the boys in the front yard, to co-teaching with Scott and Kimmy, Bruce always was a cherished member of our family. Bruce not only left his beautiful mark on us, but the students he served as well. He will forever be our colleague, friend, and brother.

Love,
The Social Science Department


Like a business card, this picture is ittybitty sized and I love it and everybody in it!!!

I have always thought that my cousin Bruce was a very handsome man.

We're looking a little silly there and one of Bruce sketching.  I think the first drawings of his that he showed to me were of a character he created named "FiFi Rodriguez" (I think that was the name) when he was in his Jr High years.

Bruce and I being Bruce and I 🤣
Magic Mountain early 1992

Dearest Jennifer, Corinna, McKwen & Monty—.            So very sorrowful for your loss.  The treasured memories of happy times can bring you joy & grateful peace in knowing he loved you all.  Take 1 day at a time to remember him in every way he touched your hearts.  You are each in my thoughts & prayers.  Love, hugs & blessings, Cousin Shuggy in AZ

Drinks and hijinks in the kraken bar by the beach. Bruce's sense of humour and love for fun just jumps out in this picture.

Flying up the galciers of NZ. One of many amazing memories with Bruce.

  I met Bruce 14 years ago when we worked together at Diamond Valley Middle School in Hemet.  Bruce was always positive, fun and interesting to talk to.  He was kind to everyone and spoke highly of his family.  I am so sorry to hear of his passing.  And I am so sorry for your loss.  Your family is in my thoughts and prayers.  May God comfort your broken hearts.

This is a picture that I took the last time I saw him.  Bruce and I talked often of music.  We always have.  There are many songs that instantly remind me of Bruce but 3 stand out. 
One of those is from when I was staying at the Baker's, and Bruce and I were in the pool room when a song came on and he started dancing and singing to it.  He was hilarious and enjoying himself and it's a memory I'll always have.
On the way to Mission Bay to meet up with Bruce I heard that song on the radio and I told him of that memory.  Unfortunately he didn't recall that moment but we had a laugh about it anyway.
The song was "Born to Be Alive" by Patrick Hernandez.
Bruce really seemed 'alive' his whole life and I admired and loved that about him.

I worked with Bruce at Greenfield high school. Prayers and love to his family.

Bruce lived in new Zealand for a number of years ,him and I became the greatest of friends we played tennis together  shared many a cold beer or two worked together laughed forever he always wanted to retire at the top of new Zealand and I was going to move up there then as well, he was the funniest man in the world he was a man  full of honor and dignity he loves America,  he inspired me to write the memorial song for sir Edmund Hillary ( Hillary 88 ) which today is the world memorial song for sir Ed, He loved his  beautiful family and we all loved him dearly, I will miss him forever he recently came back to new Zealand was given a green stone from the Maoris which 
 symbolizes that they have accepting him as one of us he loved that gift, you will be in my heart forever mate all our love out to his family Im truly blessed to have spend my time with you my friend good bye may you family live on in peace

You will be missed my long time friend since the 70s, Class of 81, Facebook friend. Rest in Peace Bruce!

I'm so sad to hear this news, he was a friend of mine from teaching together in Greenfield/King City. He always kept in touch, he will be missed! I am so very sorry for your loss.💔

We were lucky enough to meet Bruce and Monty in Cooperstown, Monty played with our son Brody on the Generals. Bruce shared a love a baseball, family, and adventures. He was so proud of his children. We had so much fun, and over the years have kept in touch, and shared family updates. My heart is broken, sending love to Bruce's family. He had so much love for you all.

OBITUARY

Bruce LaMonte Baker

29 May, 1963 – 12 July, 2023

El Camino Memorial - Sorrento Valley & Memorial Park

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