Courtney Renae Baker

She was born on September 27, 1995 in Peoria, Illinois the daughter of Jeffrey Baker and Sherry (Hawkins) Schwinn.

Courtney is survived by her father, Jeffrey Baker; mother, Sherry (Hawkins) Schwinn; brother and sister-in-law, Brandon & Sarah Baker; step-brother, Patrick Schwinn; her maternal grandparents, Elmer & Jeraldine Hawkins; her paternal grandparents, Glen & Marilyn Kellum; several aunts, uncles, cousins; and her puppy, Chauncey.

She was preceded in death by her step-father, Stephen Schwinn, and her grandfather, Melvin Baker.

Courtney was incredibly bright, graduating from Pekin High School in 2014. She completed a Bachelor’s in Statistics and Master’s in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from Case Western Reserve University at Cleveland, Ohio in 2018. She shared her passion for learning by tutoring students during her time at Case Western. Outside of classes, you could catch Courtney knitting, reading, baking, or playing board games.

Courtney will be remembered by her loyalty, gentleness, and kindness towards others. Following graduation, Courtney moved to Carrboro, North Carolina. On a weekly basis, Courtney would hangout online with her family and provide regular updates on her Australian Shepherd mix, Chauncey. Courtney attended New Hope Presbyterian Church in Carrboro.

Her funeral will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 7, 2021 at Preston-Hanley Funeral Homes & Crematory in Pekin. Pastor Sam Gibb will officiate. Visitation will be at 1 p.m. A private burial will be at later date in Glendale Memorial Gardens in Pekin.

Memorials may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, JDRF, (https://www.jdrf.org), 200 Vesey Street, 28th Floor, New York, NY 10281.