Mr. Paul Eugene Baker, 85, of Elkhart, passed away peacefully at Elkhart General Hospital on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020 at 8:30 am following a brief illness. He was born on Dec. 26, 1934 in Rochester to the late Ira E. and Edna F. (Felty) Baker, and married Norma J. "Jane" Bowyer on Feb. 27, 1954 in Rochester. She passed away in Elkhart in 2017 after 62 wonderful years together.

Surviving are his children Jeff (Theresa) Baker and Lisa (Rick) McAllister, both of Elkhart and Debbie (Ron) Desimone of Constantine, MI; brother Ira Baker; 10 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren; not to mention a host of loving extended family and friends. Paul was preceded in death by his parents; daughter Brenda Pontius; grandson Jacob, 2 Sisters and 3 brothers.

Services will be held at Billings Funeral Home and Cremation Services on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020 at 1:00 pm, with visitation beginning there at noon. Burial will follow at Hoover-Mt. Hope Cemetery in Athens, (East of Rochester, IN) Paul's grandson Pastor James Fleshman will officiate.

Of all the things that Paul did, probably the most constant and appreciated thing was being his children's and grandchildren's (and now great grandchildren's) number one fan in ALL of their sporting events and extra-curricular activities. In fact, he was so enthusiastic about being involved that he was even known to privately sponsor youth sports teams.

He worked at Rupel Engineering of Elkhart for over 30 years as a design engineer. He actually wanted to live the more pastoral life of a farmer like his father, but Ira wasn't having it so Paul remained in school, graduating from Purdue University with an associate's degree. Needless to say, he was a devout Boilermaker fan.

A former member of the Elkhart Moose lodge #599 and bowler at Elkhart's Country Club Lanes, Paul developed several interests over the years that followed him throughout his life. For one, he was an absolute fanatic over his lawn; carefully mowing and tending to his yard. He was an avid trap shooter. He also loved to have breakfast every friday with his friends and family at Martin's Supermarket, where donuts, coffee and updates on world affairs were never far From Paul's thoughts.

Donations may be given in Paul's memory to the charity of one's choice. Thank you for your interest in Paul's life story