James Frederick Baker

James Frederick (Jim) Baker, 73 of Cedarburg Wis. passed away in the early morning of Dec. 16th, 2019. He was at his Winter home in The Villages, Fla. Born in Elgin Ill., he was a son of the late Frederick B. Baker and Flora O. (Kent) Baker. Jim was preceded in death by his parents and his sisters Jane and Judy. He is survived by his loving wife of 36 years, LLorel; children Tim (Jodi), Cheryl (Craig); brother Ronnie; grandchildren Austin, Riley, Jadon and Alex; as well as other family and friends.

Jim’s family moved to Jackson WI as a child where he graduated from West Bend High School. He received a degree in mathematics at UW Stevens Point. He began his career as a computer programmer analyst at BF Goodrich in Ohio, later moving back home to Grafton and working at Schlitz Brewing company. Jim’s later career was in quality engineering for AO Smith which later became Tower Automotive. Jim finished his working years at Steel Craft in Hartford, Wi.

Jim was a dedicated and loving husband, father, brother and grandfather.

Nicknamed Mr. Tinker, Jim was a meticulous craftsman that loved to build things. He built furniture for his home. He built toys. He most recently built hand crafted scale boats from scratch that were featured in model boat magazines. From fabricating metal, whittling figures to restoring antique motorcycles and cars, his attention to detail made projects into forms of art.

He enjoyed owning a number of classic motorcycles and cars over the years. Some of his favorites included a 1936 Indian Scout he restored to its original beauty, an antique Indian Chief, antique Harley Davidsons, and a variety of collector cars. He prided himself in keeping each of them in their original condition. He was an active member of the Ozaukee County Corvette Club and the Covered Bridge Corvette Club. In Florida, he enjoyed being a member of the Mini Cooper car club and the convertible car club. Over the years he enjoyed entering his vehicles in parades and car shows, winning many accolades.

Jim loved to travel with his wife and friends; having visited Australia, Bora Bora, Europe and most recently a trip to Western Canada, Alaska and Washington. They also enjoyed camping with their RV each year in Door County, Wi. He enjoyed family vacations with all the kids and grandchildren together. Teaching kids to fish, riding bikes and enjoying ice cream were among his favorite family activities.

The gift of perfectionism and engineering did not stop at home; he was always ready and eager to use his skill of craftsmanship to help others… be they family or friends. Jim was constantly looking for projects and ways to improve anything. His outgoing personality made no one a stranger. On many occasions, Jim would make new friends, striking up conversations with people about almost anything mechanical.

A Celebration of Life for Jim was held in Jim’s hometown of Cedarburg, WI