Patricia A. “Pat” Baker, 89

April 12, 2023

Patricia A. “Pat” Baker, 89, passed away peacefully on Wednesday April 12, 2023, after a 13-year battle with vascular dementia. She was the wife of Donald H. Baker Sr. who passed away in November of 2009, just a few months after celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. Born in Lancaster, she was the daughter of the late James R. and Honora Lawrence Donnelly.

Pat is survived by a son; Donald H. Baker Jr. (husband of Maggie) and 2 grandsons; Jordan and Justin Baker. She was preceded in death by three brothers: Joseph A. Donnelly, Richard Donnelly, Robert J. “Hook” Donnelly and two sisters; Jane Bachman, and Ellen Frankford.
Pat had an extremely strong faith. She attended Notre Dame Academy and was studying to be a nun; however, she returned home to help care for her sick mother before she could complete her studies.

Pat retired from Wells Fargo Bank in 1996 when she became a grandmother. She loved nothing more than her two grandsons. Pat, affectionally known as “Nanny” spent many years taking care of her grandsons before and after school and during summers. She never missed any of their school and sporting events.

After her husband passed away in 2009, she moved in with her son, daughter in law and grandsons. Her dementia diagnosis came shortly after that. For 6 years her family and friends navigated the dementia rollercoaster while caring for Pat at home. There were a lot of laughs and even more tears. Memory disorders are brutal and can quickly tear a family apart. We were lucky. Pat’s journey brought all of us closer together and taught us compassion and unconditional love.
Her loving and caring nature will be missed by all who knew her.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Alzheimer’s Association. https://www.alz.org/nca/donate. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10AM on Friday, April 21, 2023 at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 601 E. Delp Road, Lancaster, PA 17601. Interment will be private at St. Joseph New Catholic Cemetery.