Eileen Anne Byrnes Baker

Passed away peacefully and surrounded by the light and love of her family at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre on July 15, 2021.

Eileen was larger than life; a huge, unforgettable spirit. Hilarious and frank, captivating and tenacious: she was positively perfect.

Best friend and wife of 51 years to Don Baker, loving mother to Dylan Baker, Lisa Baker, Teigan Jackson, Kenny Jackson, daughter of Mary Byrnes, sister of Frank Byrnes, Carol Laurence, Marie Sullivan, Jim and Sally Byrnes, Cathy Byrnes, Walter Broocks and Kevin Byrnes, grandma to her grand-puppies, Atlas, Bella, Abby. Being taken care of now by her daddy, Frank Byrnes, and her little brother, John Byrnes.

Our superhero; her eternally positive attitude served as a true inspiration to everyone who was lucky enough to know her. Everyone she interacted with felt like they knew her for years, after just a few moments. She charmed everyone she met with her boundless charisma. Cuteness counts and she had it in spades.

She had no interest in material things whatsoever. Her priority was always to love and take care of those around her. If you came over to her house and told her you liked something she had, she would offer it to you. She was innately giving of her time, her energy, her love and anything else you needed.

Eileen was beautifully artistic in all aspects of her life. She was a brilliant photographer, for years working for newspapers as a photojournalist, and she always captured the true essence of everyone she photographed. She sewed her kids homemade Halloween costumes every year and created award-winning quilts. She baked up a storm and gave nicknames to the different varieties of her muffins: bluffins, chappies, orphans, baffins, muffnuts, chocinis and many more. We will never taste anything better than her homemade pizza, which she only made for ones she loved. She was incredible with words and delighted in making up entirely new words; ones that seemed to sum things up perfectly. "Snoozling" (when you're not exactly sleeping, but you're more than resting) will now forever be in our vocabularies.

Eileen was so incredibly proud of her family; they were her entire world. She was thrilled to share stories of her big, loving family with anyone who would listen. She was always up for a phone chat, where she made her loved ones' interests, joys and problems her own. A fantastic listener, she would always lend a calm and empathetic ear, but also had no problem getting fired up with you when needed.

When Eileen was born, the first of seven children born to her parents, her dad paraded her around the hospital, daring anyone to argue with him when he said she was the most beautiful baby in the whole world. She grew up taking care of and loving on her six younger siblings. She loved quiet nights watching horror movies in the basement with her daddy and making high-end mud-pies in the backyard for her siblings to eat.

She shared 51 years of marriage with her best friend. They decided on forever when they were just kids. She found her future husband with his butt poking out of the freezer of Dominion store, where they both worked, and asked him to drive her home. They knew quickly they had found their teammate, when they could effortlessly be in each other's company. They went to see a movie on their first date and laughed easily together at all the same parts. It wasn't long before Eileen asked him to marry her.

She had a wonderful sense of adventure and in 1978, she and Don backpacked around Europe together for six months, sleeping on trains, eating peanut butter out of the jar. They walked down cobblestone streets, sat by the Seine River drinking red wine, marvelled at ancient stone and the Eiffel Tower and fell in love with feeling free.

After living in an apartment in Toronto for a few years (complete with a darkroom for developing photos in one of the bedrooms), they decided to buy their first home together, in Newmarket. Once they had moved in, Eileen was in awe of how many bedrooms they now had and they decided it was time to have some babies. She was, wholeheartedly, the most incredible mother to her two children. She supported every one of their dreams, made every heaviness lighter and loved them so fully, fiercely and unconditionally.

She spent her time celebrating life itself and making precious memories with the people she loved that she could "flash back on" whenever she wanted to. Her life was so full and colourful. She loved being still, staring out at the lake or having a hot cup of black coffee while looking at the sun coming through the birch trees on her property. She went on many trips in the last 20 years with her family, including activities such as parasailing with her daughter over the sea, wandering through forests filled with 800-year-old trees, walking hand-in-hand with her husband in Paris, sipping mimosas with her sisters and her mom poolside and climbing ancient ruins in Mexico. Her adventurous spirit never subsided.

Our hearts are completely broken, but they are also so, so full. The loss is enormous, but so is the love left behind. Eileen left us with an embarrassment of riches. We are rich in memories with her, rich in handmade quilts and paintings made with love by her, rich in lessons shown by her, rich in cards and notes left by her, and most of all, we are so rich in her love. She changed so many lives with her perspective on life and her humour. She taught us that life is not to be taken too seriously.

Throughout her 17 years fighting cancer, accompanied by a myriad of different complications, she never complained and was adamant in staying around as long as she could because she said, "My family still needs me." The challenges she faced were monstrous and at times, seemingly insurmountable, yet she remained positive throughout her entire journey. She blew us away on a daily basis with her sheer determination. She was a true miracle.

Visitation will take place on Saturday, August 14, 2021 from 11:00am-1:00pm at the Hart Chapel.

A Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, August 14, 2021 at 1:00pm at the Hart Chapel (1099 Gordon St., Guelph). Capacity is limited.

Due to COVID 19 restrictions, guests must RSVP their attendance through the funeral home website for both the visitation and the Funeral Service. Masks are mandatory and social distancing will be in place.

As expressions of sympathy, in lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful to accept donations to the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation - Myeloma Research Fund.

Donations may be made online at www.thepmcf.ca, or by cheque or telephone, being sure to specify "Myeloma Research Fund".

The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation - Myeloma Research Fund

610 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9

1-866-224-6560

(Please make sure to specify the "Myeloma Research Fund" in the memo area of the cheque, as the funds will otherwise go into the hospital's general cancer research fund. The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, c/o Myeloma Research Fund, has charitable status for tax deduction purposes.)