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HOWLAND -- Richard T. Baker, 67, of Howland, passed away Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, surrounded by his loved ones after a hard-fought battle with cholangiocarcinoma.
He was born May 12, 1959, in Mercer, Pa., the second of two children to Harold N. Baker and Bernice Ligo Baker.
He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Sheryl Sipes Baker; three children, Michael (Corrine) Baker of Cortland, Sarah (Jeffrey) Penney of Warren and Ryan (Jennifer) Baker of Howland; four grandchildren, Charlie, Jane and Rosanna Penney, and Eleanor Baker; and baby boy Baker on the way; along with several cherished nieces and nephews.
Richard graduated in 1977 from Lakeview High School in Cortland. He excelled in music and was accepted to the Dana School of Music, but he chose to follow in his mother's footsteps and entered the medical field.
He worked as an orderly at Imperial Nursing Home, then Trumbull Memorial Hospital. Richard furthered his education and graduated from the Trumbull Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in 1987 and immediately began working there in critical care. He later worked in ICU at Youngstown Osteopathic (Cafaro) Hospital, then Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital as a supervisor and unit manager of the Traumatic Brain Injury Unit. While there, he accomplished obtaining a perfect score for the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities Certification. Later in his career, he assisted in opening the Select Specialty Hospital within TMH. For the last several years of his career, he was the Corporate RN for Consumer Support Services, traveling the state and advocating for the care of developmentally impaired individuals. He retired in November 2019.
Richard was active in his community, serving as President of the Howland Football Backers Booster Club and a member of the Howland Band Boosters. He was a Mason at Carol F. Clapp Lodge in Warren. He enjoyed teaching private piano and clarinet lessons and playing 1st clarinet professionally for the Paul Rossi Band and Canfield Community Band.
His passion for music and piano led him to be a church musician, serving as a substitute pianist at Howland Community and Bazetta Christian Churches, before becoming a full-time pianist at Ohltown United Methodist Church. He accompanied the Warren Civic Chorus Children's Chorus (WC4), later known as Fusion. Richard was instrumental in getting the Joyful Connections Community Choir up and running and accompanied the choir for their rehearsals.
Richard was also President of the W.D. Packard Foundation, where he was proud of leading the campaign for the completion of the music hall and stage floors being refinished. His expertise on clarinet and love of children and music led him to volunteer teaching middle school clarinet sectionals at Howland Middle School.
In his retirement, Richard enjoyed cooking and baking. He was a perfectionist at baking cookies. Each cookie was exactly the same size and shape, to the point that he was often accused of trying to pass off store-bought cookies as his own. A vintage car enthusiast, Richard loved a "lead sled" convertible and owned several classic cars and "land yachts" over the years. He loved going for rides with his wife without a destination. Most importantly, he loved spending every moment possible with his family enjoying his backyard swimming pool and his freshly manicured lawn.
Richard was preceded in death by his grandparents, Harold T. Baker and Mary White Catchpole of Vienna; Russell Ligo and Esther McMillan Ligo of Grove City, Pa.; his parents, Harold N. Baker and Bernice Ligo Baker of Warren; and his brother, Charles N. Baker of Howland.
A time of gathering to honor Richard will be from 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, and from 9 to 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, at the Carl Hall Funeral Home in Warren.
Following calling hours Wednesday, a funeral service will be at 10 a.m. at the Carl W. Hall Funeral Home.
Richard will be laid to rest in a private committal at the Union Home Cemetery in Grove City, Pa.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Nurse Honor Guard of Eastern Ohio, Joyful Connections Community Choir, or Howland Band Boosters.
(special notice)