Gordon-Baker, 1928-2019

Gordon-Baker

Long-standing branch member, Gordon Baker, passed away on Wednesday June 12th, 2019. Gordon was born in Birmingham April 18th 1928 and, as a boy, became eligible for Grammar School. However, that was all disrupted by a certain Mr Hitler, which did not best please him. He was instead evacuated to Cheltenham and then to Rugeley Camp, Staffordshire. He loved anything made of wood, consequently training and working as a carpenter. As a young man he came to Tewkesbury on holiday with some Birmingham lads and fell in love with a girl in the Milk Bar!

He would cycle from Birmingham to see her, eventually married her and moved to Tewkesbury. They had three children, Janine, Graham and Jeremy and firstly, owing to the post-war housing shortage, lived in a medieval building that was to become the Tewkesbury Museum.

When his first child was born they had a ground floor and a third floor room, but had to abandon the upper one as it was so cold and damp. Upon application for a Council House he was told that his wife would have to go back to her mother with the baby and he would have to find digs!

In later life he married Ramona Ann who had two children by her first marriage Tracey and Donna and they went on to have a daughter together - Gillian. Right to the end, Gordon was in regular communication with all his grandchildren and great grandchildren, step and otherwise, having a list of all their birthdays on the inside of a kitchen cupboard door - he never forgot to send a card.

He served as a member of Twyning Parish Council and was involved in a number of local organisations; the Tewkesbury Historical Society (for whom he wrote articles), the Friends of Tewkesbury Museum, the U3A Discussion Society, Twyning Wine Club, the Probus Club and, of course, he was a member of our Branch of the WFA from its formation in the late 1990s.