Baker, Anson 'Ken' Kenneth

Anson “Ken” Kenneth Baker, 55, of Cedar Rapids, passed away Friday, July 6, 2012, at St. Luke's Hospital. A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church of Cedar Rapids at 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 11. His family will greet friends at the church from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday evening.

Ken is survived by his dear wife, Susan; his two children, Ben (Siri) and Emily; his mother, Phyllis Baker; his siblings, Gary Baker (Debbie Benjamin) and Christy (Douglas) Tompkins; his nephews, Justin and Ryan Tompkins; his father-in-law, Charles Stewart; his brother-in-law, David Stewart (Alissa Bowman); and a host of extended family members.

He was preceded in death by his father, Anson Baker; and his mother-in-law, Dorothy Stewart.

Ken was born May 23, 1957, in Jersey City, N.J., the son of Anson and Phyllis Baker. A graduate of Toms River North High School and Wake Forest University, he spent much of his career in the information technology industry. His first job was in marketing for IBM, where he met his wife Susan. The two married on June 25, 1983, and lived in Des Moines before moving to Cedar Rapids in 1991. Ken also spent a sizable portion of his career working for Midland Systems Integrators (MSI). In the last year of his life, he took on a new challenge working as a principal account manager in Government Systems for Rockwell Collins.

Ken will be remembered as a loving and devoted husband, father, brother, and son; a thoughtful and gracious leader; an open-minded lover of learning; a dedicated member of the Presbyterian Church; and a kind and gentle man of strong character and good heart. He will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him.

Memorials may be directed to Ken's family, who will allocate them to several charities in his memory.

Online condolences may be sent to www.cedarmemorial.com under obituaries.

Published July 9, 2012 in The Gazette