Roger Baker

Roger B. Baker

1938 - 2018

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Obituary of Roger B. Baker

Roger Burton Baker, Born November 11, 1938 in Twin Falls, Idaho. Passed away November 25, 2018 in Ontario, Oregon. He was born to Paul and Lillian Baker in Twin Falls, Idaho and moved to Nyssa, Oregon in 1939, where he was raised along with his 3 brothers and 2 sisters. He graduated Nyssa High School in 1956, then proceeded on to Billings, Montana and attended Western College of Auctioneering. Eventually forming with his son, Baker Auction Company, until retirement in 2011. Along the way he worked as a butcher, buckaroo, horse trainer, musician and local entertainer. He married Rosalie McCoy in 1981 and like the T.V. show Blended, they raised their children in the Ontario area. Roger has 6 children, 14 grandchildren and 2.5 great grandchildren. He worked for Bill and Polly Stewart as a butcher at the Cairo market. He also worked for his uncle Dick Nelson in the Twin Falls area, and for several ranches in the Ironside, Oregon area as a buckaroo, this is where he met his wife, Rosalie. He also ran mustangs in the Owyhee’s with life long friends Chuck Walker and Tater Smith. He owned and trained several race horses, running them on the west coast from Washington to Arizona. He sang and played guitar for the String Busters band that played live on a local weekend radio show called “The Friday Night Hay Ride”. He took his guitar and entertainer qualities to local grade schools and performed the auctioneer song and auction tongue twisters to the amazement of our local youth. As an auctioneer he served our communities performing countless benefit auctions and local fund raisers. He was very active in his local shrine club and loved working for the shrine children as well as 4-H, and FFA kids. He always said, “The kids are what matter”. He was an avid outdoorsman, hunting and fishing from Alaska to the Sea of Cortez. But enjoyed most his time spent fishing with his father and family on the Owyhee river. In 1976 he was the auctioneer picked to join a local contingency that went to Washington D.C. for our Countries Bicentennial celebration. His performances were recorded and sent to the Smithsonian Institute and are stored in our National archives. He was Ontario’s Man of the Year in 1995. He was always family orientated and community minded. He will be missed by all. Life celebration will be held on Tuesday December 4th, at the Four Rivers Cultural Center from 2p.m. – 4p.m. In lieu of flowers contributions to Snake River Shrine Club would be appreciated. Arrangements by Lienkaemper Chapel, Nyssa
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We are deeply sorry for your loss ~ the staff at Lienkaemper Funeral Chapels - Nyssa