Opal Fern Baker, Castle Rock, CO passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family April 7, 2017, four days shy of her 96th birthday. Born to Effie and Evert Nokes in Meeker, CO the oldest of three children. Opal grew up on the western slope of Colorado and graduated from New Castle High School, 1939. It was there she met and married, (eloped), classmate Ovid M. Baker Jr. Together they happily shared over 76 years of marriage. As newlyweds they lived in Leadville, CO. They soon moved to Grand Junction, CO where son Gerald Martin was born (1941). The family next moved to Denver where Opal worked as a secretary at Western Beauty Supply while Ovid entered the Army Air Corp. to serve during WWII. In the 1950's, Opal supervised Ovid's building of their Littleton CO home, (a pre-cut lumber home), and maintained the home fires while Ovid was flying the line for United Air Lines. Ovid's Captain bid required them to move to Elgin IL in the early 1960's. After a particularly cold winter in the mid 1960's, the couple moved to Los Altos, CA. Soon after Doug and Susan Vinton, nephew and niece, joined them in their home. In the of summer of 1969 the family moved to Denver, CO where Opal and Ovid remained for over four decades. In their later years, Opal and Ovid relocated to Castle Rock CO to be near their children. Opal was preceded in death by Ovid (Curly) on October 19, 2015. Opal loved to garden, sew, enjoyed playing the piano, organ and listening to opera and classical music. She was also active with the UAL Flight Wives Association. Opal enjoyed traveling to Hawaii and occasionally volunteering with Ovid at the annual EAA fly-in event in Oshkosh, WI. Opal is survived by sister Jean (Nokes) Treweek, brother Glenn Nokes, her son and his wife, Gerald and Reatha Baker, grandchildren Maren (Tom) Plisko, Corbett Baker, great grandchildren Kate and Claire Plisko, nephew Douglas (Layne) Vinton, niece Susan (Andrew) Walker, nephews James (Yvonne) Vinton, Richard (Claudia) Vinton, Gregory (Nancy) Vinton and many grand nieces and nephews who considered Opal and Ovid grandparents. Opal was a special woman loved for her commitment to family and devotion to Ovid. She will be greatly missed. Services will be held at Crown Hill Cemetery, Wheat Ridge CO Thursday, April 13, 2017 at 2pm. Online guest book www.legacy.com/denverpost.
Arrangements under the direction of Olinger Crown Hill Mortuary, Cemetery & Arboretum, Wheat Ridge, CO.
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