Verne R. Baker

Verne Ray Baker died July 5, 2020 at Chambers Pointe Nursing Center two weeks short of his 95th birthday. He was born 7/20/1925 the son of Ray A. Baker and Mary Leona Baker in Chambersburg. He was able to graduate from the Chambersburg High School in 1944 by attending summer school with the knowledge that he would be drafted before completing his senior year. Verne served in the U.S. Army with the 42nd Rainbow Division which liberated the Dachau Concentration camp and received the Bronze Star for his service. After the war he was stationed in Vienna, Austria. Upon returning home he went to work in his father’s grocery store on N. Franklin St. In 1948 they opened a new store at 380 Wayne Ave, Baker’s Food Market. He married his wife Mary in 1951. Verne and Mary purchased the store from his father in 1967. They operated the store until they retired in 1982. Verne was a member of the Presbyterian Church of the Falling Spring for over 70 years, serving on the board of Deacons and Trustees and enjoying Sunday School and Bible Studies over those years. He was on the Board of Directors for the Associated Wholesalers of York, PA. He was also a Mason since 1955 at the Chambersburg Lodge and the Harrisburg Consistory. He was also a member of the American Legion. In his older years, Verne took great pleasure in speaking with school students about his war experiences. He was one of the veterans featured in The Glorious & The Brave, a documentary and book about World War II Veterans and Holocaust Survivors. It was his hope that people would never forget the atrocities of that war. Verne enjoyed hunting, taking trips with his wife and woodworking. Of his many woodworking projects, the most well-known are the original Uncle Sam flag holders which decorate the Penn Hall streets on holidays. Verne very much adored his family. He is survived by his wife of 68 years Mary Kelso Baker; two daughters, Brenda B Dameron (J.T.) and Martha B Nissly (Brian); four grandchildren, Margaret Christenson (Christopher), Maureen Grove, (Christopher), Augusta Nissly and Spencer Nissly; and three great grandchildren, Eliza, Nathan,Emmett Grove and a sister, Lois Osterman. He was preceded in death by his parents; a daughter, Susan Baker; sister, Joan Arnold; and brother, Lynn Baker. A viewing will be held Thursday, July 16 from 6:00-8:00 pm at the William F. Sellers Funeral Home, Inc. The funeral will be Friday, July 17 at 2:00 pm at the Presbyterian Church of the Falling Spring. Masks and social distancing are required at both events. If attending the funeral please RSVP the church office 717-264-5715. The service will also be available via livestreaming on the Facebook page Milestones at Presbyterian Church of Falling Spring. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, S.W., Washington, DC 20024-2126, or the Menno Haven Employee fund, (payable to Menno Haven Inc., with “Employee Fund” on the memo line.) Mail to F & M Trust, 1425 Philadelphia Ave, Chambersburg, PA 17201

Verne R. Baker

July 20, 1925 - July 5, 2020