Don Bakker, age 80 of Orleans, Massachusetts, passed away peacefully at home on May 10, 2022. Don was born in Teaneck, NJ on November 23, 1941 to Wilbert and Nellie Bakker. A talented French horn player as a youth, he attended Ridgewood High (‘59), studied chemistry at MIT (B.Sc. ‘63), and did his graduate work in political science at Columbia University (M.A. ‘66). He first discovered his deep connection to Cape Cod in college, and after visiting often as a graduate student he moved here for good in 1969.
Don Bakker devoted his life to education. He molded the minds of three generations of students during his 47 years teaching at Nauset Regional High School (NRHS). He was a towering figure within the school district, a key negotiator for the Massachusetts Teachers Association, and a core founder of the Cape Cod Lighthouse Charter School. As an adjunct writer for the Choices Program at Brown University, he developed curriculum to engage high school students in advanced methods of historical analysis, and his materials have been used in hundreds of schools across the country.
Don’s long tenure as head of the history department at NRHS was legendary, and his Honors Ancient History and A.P. U.S. History classes were life-changing for many. He infused his lectures with his love of the ancient world, even taking several of his classes to Egypt. True to the classical Greek ideal, Don taught a wide variety of other courses, including physics, chemistry, economics, and ancient art. In his spare time he privately tutored students in virtually every high school science and math subject. Don took great pride in challenging his students, and those who were willing to match his commitment were richly rewarded.
Don was a loving father. His sense of integrity and love of learning live on in his seven children. To them he was also a supportive chess coach, an eager tennis partner, a brass band buff, a wise mentor, and a cultured travel companion. He led by his example: put in the work, and when finished, reward yourself with a chocolate malt. He had a delightful wry wit and a playful sense of humor, never more on display than during the puzzling Christmas challenges he thoughtfully crafted for his sons every year.
Don had a deep appreciation of nature. He enjoyed camping, gardening, and scenic walks with his dogs, but there was nothing he enjoyed more than fishing. For Donald P. Bakker fishing was life. He fondly recalled catching trout as a child with his grandfather, and 70 years later his boyish enthusiasm had not waned. His early mornings before class were often spent trying for stripers on Pleasant Bay, and in recent years Don and his fishing buddy Tom Carney have been regulars at Nauset Marine.
Don relished a challenge; the house he built by hand in Orleans is a monument to a lifetime of intellectual and creative pursuits. His library teems with books on subjects ranging from Hammurabi to the human mind, from thermodynamics to Theodore Roosevelt, each meticulously marked up. Never content to let his mind idle, Don occupied himself in his retirement with bronze casting, blacksmithing, woodworking, panel painting, and crafting marble mosaics. Each of his works memorialized his love for his family, and his passions sparked lifelong interests among his children, friends, and colleagues.
Don is survived by his daughter Sara (Mark) Koenig, his six sons Andrew, Ben, Josh, Jonathan, Jake, and Alex, his granddaughter Eleanor Koenig, his brother Bob, and his loyal canine companions Tom and Chief. His legacy lives on in the minds of the students he pushed to realize their full potential and in the hearts of all those who now struggle to comprehend a Cape Cod without Don Bakker.
We miss you, Dad
With love, the Bakker Boys
Services will be held privately. For online condolences and memories, please visit www.dignitymemorial.com.
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