BAKER, Richard Stanley Baker

Sadly we have had to say goodbye…Dad left us the way he lived, humbly and without fanfare and in his wake has left an unfillable void and a path that is both enviable yet impossible to follow or replicate. Our Dad, Richard Stanley Baker (Dick) was born on July 13, 1937, in Vancouver, British Columbia. He was predeceased by the love of his life, Marilyn (nee Crampton), and is survived by his children Stephani, Allison (Mike), and Mitchell (Kirsty), as well as his treasured grandchildren, Jason and Phaedon Samaridis, and Reid and Brooke Baker. He is also survived by his sister Bonnie (Richie) Hawes and his brother Bruce (Gail) Baker, and many nephews and a niece. We all take solace in imagining that he and our Mom are now reunited and sailing somewhere beautiful, toasting their great life together.

Raised in East Vancouver and Victoria, Dad attended John Oliver Secondary School. After a brief stint in local gyms and a lumber mill, Dad became an aircraft mechanic, graduating from the first class of aeronautical mechanics at BCIT. He went on to work for CP Air as a lead mechanic and later became an aircraft technical instructor – ensuring the pilots truly understood how to run the planes! In his later years, he returned to BCIT, this time to teach, passing on his knowledge to new aircraft mechanics, alongside a few of his airline buddies. Somewhere amongst all of that, Dad also took on work repairing boat hulls.

Not surprisingly, Dad was adventurous and fearless from a very young age. His life was marked by an astonishing list of feats – whether it was starting fires at age five in an empty lot to rid the neighbourhood of rats or trekking across Vancouver in his teens to ride the chairlift up Grouse Mountain to ski, he was always on the go. It was while weightlifting at Kits Beach one fateful day in 1959, that he and his white 1955 Meteor met our Mom. After a whirlwind romance, they married on March 30, 1963 and together they bought land and built a house on an “unbuildable” lot on Riverside Drive, and then another one a number of years later, even further up the same hill. Dad rode his 10-speed from North Vancouver to the airport for work, learned to sail by racing with a friend, and then bought a sailboat so our family could learn together.

As we were growing up, he and Mom bred Rhodesian Ridgebacks and competed in a multitude of dog shows over the years. They loved to dance and laugh and often brought the restaurant back to the house where we kids would sit up wide eyed and listen to amazing stories and music. Dad built a motorhome from an old Tornado engine using self-taught welding and fibreglass skills; rebuilt a 1958 Corvette to mirror one he had sold when we were born; and designed and built a Thermopane window machine that he sold to glaziers across the country. Dad also found time to start and teach a model airplane course at our local elementary school all while raising a family.

Mom and Dad loved sailing so much they upgraded to a larger sailboat and explored all of BC’s coastal waters with our family – including the wild west coast – with animals in tow, of course. Then, never one to sit still, when a leave of absence wasn’t in the cards, Dad quit his pensioned job, and they bought a sailboat in England and took our family on an unforgettable, year-long voyage through Europe – again, including dog and cat. They had long dreamt of sailing off into the sunset and they did just that.

When we returned, he and Mom purchased raw land on off grid Reid Island, adjacent to lifelong friends, and cleared the land to build a log house like pioneers. With block and tackle and every ounce of sweat and muscle imaginable, with his skills and their combined grit, they created a family legacy that will surely showcase his handiwork 100 years from now.

The void Dad leaves with his passing will be felt for decades – especially when a problem arises and we can’t simply phone him for the solution. Our walking encyclopedia has left the building. He was passionate, dedicated, curious, and always learning. “Can’t” was synonymous with “prove them wrong.” He was thoughtful, calm, unbelievably smart, and innovative and loved to laugh. There are countless stories about Dad, and so many that he told himself – sometimes taking a little longer than ideal. He was always the humblest, strongest person in any room without even trying.

We are certain he’ll be keeping a keen eye on all of us from above, making sure we are building and fixing things to the proper “Baker-built” standard.

We are incredibly lucky to have had parents who shared their love of life and adventure with us, and we are privileged to have witnessed a truly great love story. Dad, we will try to live up to your legacy and make you proud. You are already greatly missed and you’ve only just left. Please give Mom, Ras, and Meowy a big hug from all of us. It’s time for you to sit back and enjoy a nice cold glass of Retsina.

May fair winds and calm seas fill your days.

A Memorial to celebrate Dick’s life will be held at the home of Mitchell and Kirsty Baker:

Saturday, January 24th.

2pm – 6pm

Please contact one of us directly for the address and directions.

mitchell@karnakprobuilders.com

stephbakernv@gmail.com

livealoft@shaw.ca

Services

Memorial Service
SATURDAY,JANUARY 24, 2026
HOME OF MITCHELL AND KIRSTY BAKER