Obituary of karen Kelly Baker

Karen Kelly Baker Obituary July 30, 1940 – October 30, 2022 Karen Kelly Baker, age 82 of Pensacola, Florida, passed away peacefully and without pain on October 30, 2022. She was born Karen Sue Kelly to the late Willa Faye Caldwell and her husband, the late Robert Eldon Kelly, on July 30, 1940 in Samaritan Hospital, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Karen attended Capitol Hill High School in Oklahoma City, graduating in 1958. She then attended nursing school in Oklahoma City. She was married to Jimmy Ray Danner from 1961 to 1969, and they both became the proud parents of son, Toby Blake Danner. Karen’s checkered work history saw her follow many different career paths, from nurse in Oklahoma City and Dallas, Texas, to hotel management, to driving an eighteen-wheeler with her late, second husband, Louis Donald Benton, whom she partnered with as an owner/operator, and was married to from 1981 to 1986. From there, it was managing apartment complexes, and finally, office management in real estate until her retirement in 2003. In addition to Oklahoma City and Dallas, Texas, Karen lived in Midland, Texas, Shreveport, Louisiana, New Orleans, Louisiana, Springfield, Illinois, and Corpus Christi, Texas, before settling down in Pensacola Florida. She and husband Bill (aka, “CW”) were living in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit, and she spent many hours helping distribute MREs and supplies donated by Bill’s (CW’s) union, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. Just as comfortable in an evening gown as she was in her well-worn jeans, Karen’s beauty, and Angie Dickinson-like appearance made her a show-stopper wherever she went. But what really stood out was her inner beauty, her kindness, and her empathy. Whether it was a stray dog, like her beloved German Shepherd, “Bull,” or the loneliest wallflower at the loudest party, she always seemed to gravitate to the shy, the lonely, the needy, and the friendless. Far from being the extrovert that everyone thought she was, she was actually very shy. But just like the sun that she worshipped, people were drawn to her. People instantly and instinctively liked her, and loved her for her warmth, caring, and friendship. Night Owl Karen could be found relaxing in front of the TV, playing with one of the many stray dogs she took in, working Sunday crossword puzzles, or whipping her current husband, Bill (CW) in a game of Scrabble. Sunrise would often find her having finally fallen asleep, Kindle on her chest, and watery Bloody Mary on her bedside table. But most of all, she loved the sun. Whether it was on the beach in Acapulco, or enjoying the pool and the surf in Gulf Shores, Alabama, Karen was the ultimate sun worshipper. She was happiest enjoying a steak and margarita with Bill while listening to the waves crashing outside and the moon shining above, or spending a week with her girlfriends during their annual, “no-men-allowed” getaways. She also loved Christmas, and the joy of Christmas Dinner spent every year in Oklahoma City with as many as fifty family members in attendance. Karen is survived by her husband, Charles William “Bill” aka, “CW” Baker in Pensacola, Florida, and her beloved son, Toby Blake Danner and his fiancée, Nelson Ortiz in Santa Monica, California. Being the youngest of four sisters, Karen lost her loving, oldest sister, Wynema Jeanne Kelly Patterson in 2018, but is survived by sisters Joan Robinson of Dallas, Texas, and Daisy Norwood of McKinney, Texas. Jeanne was born on Halloween, October 31, 1933. Karen passed on October 30, 2022, just one day before what would have been sister Jeanne’s 89th birthday. Her first husband, Jim Danner, and his wife Donna, with whom Karen remained friends, remain behind in Tulsa, Oklahoma. And her sister-in-law, Diane Flatt and her husband Ronnie survive her in Haltom City, Texas, as does sister-in-law Bonnie Baker, in Willow Creek, Texas. Karen leaves behind many nieces and nephews, including: Joni Wells and her husband Michael in Mustang, Oklahoma, Douglas Quine and his wife Kim in Oklahoma City, Kelly Wilkins and husband Paul in Edmond, Oklahoma, Trip Patterson in Yukon, Oklahoma, Robert Robinson and his wife Kelly in Dallas, Texas, Ryan Robinson and his wife Carrie in Dallas, Texas, Allison Jewell and her husband Jan in Dallas, Texas, David Jewell and his wife Erika in Allen, Texas, Christopher Kaufman and his wife Leslie in Aledo, Texas, and Anthony Kaufman and his fiancée Megan in Austin, Texas. A long line of great and great-great nieces and nephews survive Karen as well. Having been cremated, a memorial and celebration of Karen’s life will take place in Oklahoma City in early 2023. Half her ashes will be interred in a mausoleum in Resthaven Cemetery, Oklahoma City, where other family members are buried. The other half will be legally spread over the Gulf of Mexico, near her beloved Gulf Shores, after a ceremony at sea, where Karen will be able to worship the sun for the rest of eternity. She will be dearly missed.