Annie Evelyn Baker

BAKER, ANNIE M. (EVELYN) - Evelyn Baker, 89, a long-time resident of Montgomery, passed away Friday, March 8, 2013 after a brief illness. The family will receive friends on Monday, March 11, 2013 at Leak Memory Chapel from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, March 12, 2013, 2:00 p.m. at Leak Memory Chapel with Dr. Ed Bowman of Eastmont Baptist Church officiating. Burial will follow at Greenwood Serenity Memorial Gardens.

Evelyn was preceded in death by her loving husband of 58 years, H. M. “Deedie” Baker, her parents, J.C. and Iola Morgan, her siblings Lucille Morgan, Judson Morgan, Loyce "Bill" Morgan, Fred Morgan, and Laverne Alford. She is survived by her son, Michael W. Baker, MD, Pensacola, Florida; daughters Linda B. Allen (Charles), Jacksonville, Florida and Montgomery, Alabama, and Angela B. Sterrett (James), Ft. Walton Beach, Florida; granddaughters Melissa M. Justice (Philip), Jacksonville, Florida, and Christina Geline (Wade), Green Bay, Wisconsin; grandsons Gregory T. Garrett, Jr., Ft. Walton Beach, Florida, and Navigation Electronics Technician 2nd Class Submarines Qualified Timothy J. Sterrett (Brianna), Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base, Georgia; and great-grandsons Tristan and Davion Justice, Jacksonville, Florida. She also leaves to cherish her memory numerous family members and friends.

Evelyn was active in the charities supporting the Shrine Hospitals, serving as a former First Lady of the Alcazar Shrine Center. She was a charter member of the Al Phurah Temple, Daughters of the Nile, helping institute the temple in 1962 and serving as its Queen in 1968. She was also a member of the Liberty Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star.

Born and raised in Tallassee, Alabama, Evelyn graduated from Tallassee High School in 1941. Deedie proposed to Evelyn at the Elite Café on Montgomery St. in Montgomery, and they were married on May 30, 1945 while Deedie was on leave from the Navy. Evelyn worked for the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board for 17 years prior to the birth of her last child. As her children were growing up, their friends considered her as their “second mother,” who was well-known for her chocolate chip cookies and coconut cakes. Evelyn returned to State service later in life working briefly for Revenue, and working at Garrett Coliseum for ten years, where she thoroughly enjoyed going to work every day, both for the friendships developed with coworkers and the ability to interact with the public in an exciting ever-changing environment.

Evelyn was a breast cancer survivor and always maintained a very positive outlook on life. She had an uncommon ability to get to the heart of the matter and size up a situation very accurately. Evelyn loved her family, and was thrilled to be a great grandmother. She had a delightful sense of humor, and lived a full and happy life. She will be missed beyond measure.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Daughters of the Nile Foundation, the American Cancer Society, or the American Diabetes Association.