Phil And Doris Baker
Mom was a very special person. When she and dad would visit us from Florida, she and Doris would stay up until three or four o'clock in the morning drinking coffee and solving the world's problems, including the finer points of raising kids. We grew closer to her after dad died and traveled to Florida every year to spend a week or two. Most of the time, we just talked about what we had been doing and what she had enjoyed on her world cruises, which she took nearly every year in the late 1990's and early 2000's. We even flew to Brazil in 2001 and met her cruise ship in Sal Paolo. We spent the final two weeks with her on the ship's itinerary and saw some terrific sights. Despite the fact that she found if difficult to travel in later years, she was always ready to come to St. Louis for family occasions like weddings and anniversaries. When she moved to her retirement home at Cypress Cove, we still enjoyed our visits to see her. The final two years of her life were sometimes difficult for her because she required 24 hour care, which was contrary to her independent nature. We telephoned her every weekend and we hope our calls were as gratifying for her as they were us. Every Saturday at 9:30 we think of her and miss talking to her, but we take solace in knowing that she looked forward to being reunited with Grandpa (dad).