Herlon Baker, 65, of Sioux Center, IA, died Wednesday, February 4, 2015, at Sioux Center Health.
A visitation will be held on Sunday from 3-8PM, with the family present from 3-5PM at the Memorial Funeral Home of Sioux Center.
A funeral will be held on Monday at 10:30AM at the First Reformed Church of Sioux Center with Rev. Travis Else officiating. Interment will follow the service in Memory Gardens Cemetery of Sioux Center.
The Baker family prefers memorials to Sioux Center Home Health & Hospice or Village Northwest.
Herlon Jay Baker was born June 28, 1949 to Henry and Bernice (Kroon) Baker in Orange City, Iowa. He grew up in Sioux Center with his brother and sister, Larry and Sally Baker. Herlon graduated from Sioux Center High School with the Class of 1967.
Herlon was united in marriage with Margene Punt on January 17, 1969. After working for a short while in Des Moines, Iowa, Herlon volunteered to enlist in the United States Navy on January 27, 1969. Herlon's tour in the Navy started at the Naval Recruit Training Station, San Diego, followed by communications school in Pensacola, Florida, where his daughter, Kim, was born. He then was assigned to a year of unaccompanied duty in Keflavik, Iceland with the Naval Security Group Activity. Due to his large physical size, his nicknames were 'Moose' and 'Herk' (short for Hercules). After his year in Iceland, he rejoined his wife and daughter for two years at the Naval Communications Station in San Diego, California, where Robbie was born. Herlon was honorably discharged from the United States Navy on February 15, 1973.
Following his enlistment, Herlon moved with his family to Ames, Iowa. While there, he attended Iowa State University and graduated in 1976 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Engineering. Herlon and Margene made a difficult decision to leave Iowa and move to Rochester, New York, where Herlon worked as an industrial engineer with Eastman Kodak. Herlon and Margene accepted a transfer from Kodak to temporarily relocate to Fort Collins, Colorado in 1982. They returned to Rochester in 1983 until their children graduated from high school and college. Herlon finished his work with Kodak in 1994 and transitioned to volunteer work at Park Ridge Hospital near their home in Rochester. Herlon and Margene returned to Sioux Center in 2002, and Herlon continued his volunteer work at Kinsey Elementary School in Sioux Center.
Herlon enjoyed gardening, playing softball and basketball, going bowling, building furniture from wood, making home improvements, fishing, feeding birds in their backyard, constructing a model railroad, reading spy novels, and cleaning up his car. His favorite vehicle was his 1979 Chrysler Cordoba. Herlon was active for many years at Lakeview Community Church in Rochester, teaching Sunday School, singing in the choir, and serving on many committees and as an Elder, and playing on the church softball team. In Sioux Center, he enjoyed daily walks, meals with family, going to the Sioux Center Warrior basketball and football games, and playing board games with his grandchildren. Herlon and Margene were inseparable.
While most of their family vacations were spent visiting family in Iowa, Herlon also traveled to the Adirondack Mountains and the Finger Lakes in New York; Kennebunkport, Maine; and Rocky Mountain National Park/Estes Park in Colorado. Herlon often traveled to visit his adult children wherever they were living from California, to North Carolina, and Arizona. Kim took her Dad to see his beloved New York Yankees in Yankee Stadium and Robbie took him to see his beloved Cyclones in Ames.
Herlon is survived by his loving and dedicated wife of 46 years, Margene; their daughter and son-in-law Kim and Tim Proctor of Phoenix, Arizona; his son and daughter-in-law, Robbie and Jenny Baker of Ames, Iowa; and his grandchildren, Jackson, Adam, and Jane Baker.
Herlon will be missed by his brother and sister-in-law, Larry and Becky Baker of Canby, Oregon; his sister and brother-in-law, Sally and Mike Dieltz of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; his brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Adam and Marlene Punt, Stan and Wanda Punt, Willard Rensink, all of Sioux Center; and several nieces and nephews.
Herlon was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Bernice Baker, his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Gerrit and Edna Punt, and his sister-in-law, Gracia Rensink, all of Sioux Center.
We thank God for giving Herlon to us for 65 years, and his unforgettable influence upon our lives. We praise the Lord that he has received God's promise of life eternal and everlasting love.