John "Jj" Rolland Baker Obituary (1950 - 2019)

Born May 22, 1950, John "Jj" Rolland Baker attended Watchung Hills Regional High School in Warren, NJ. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about John "jj" Rolland Baker.

Graduation Year	Class of 1969
Date of Birth	May 22, 1950
Date of Passing	Oct 06, 2019
About	On Sunday, October 6, 2019, John R “JJ” Baker, beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend passed away at the age of 69. This was a shock to many as he was only very recently diagnosed with cancer. John was preceded in death by his father Harold O and mother Lillian Watt Baker. He was born on May 22, 1950 in Covington KY. When he was 2 the family moved to New Jersey, where he grew up with 3 older siblings. John graduated from Watchung Hills Regional High School in Warren NJ, and then earned a BS in Psychology from Salem College in West Virginia. He then earned a Masters of Arts from Central Michigan University where his studies focused on Counseling and Guidance. Returning to NJ John worked at a group home for boys before changing career paths taking a job in sales with GATX, a terminaling company. That job lead to an offer from a competitor, Paktank, which moved the family to Houston, TX. Paktank later became Vopak, from which he retired. John enjoyed life! He loved being at the beach and owned a house on the Bolivar Peninsula until Ike swept it away. He bought a Honda Gold Wing motorcycle/trike and traveled the country, trying to visit all of the national parks on the mainland. He didn’t get to all of them but he made a very good dent in his list. He enjoyed the camaraderie and friendship within the GWRRA riding group. His hobbies are sports and gardening and he was the proud recipient of a tomato growing award this year from the Arbor Gate. John is survived by his wife of 37 years, Maureen Steger Baker, and his 2 sons, Paul R and Mark O Baker, Mark’s wife Jessica and their son Owen. His siblings include sisters Marie Comune-Saner and husband Al, Loretta Maksimik and husband Walter of NJ, Brother Harold O Baker III, and his wife Rena of VA, plus his many nieces and nephews.

Classmate Memories

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Melanie Dees Dees '69 said:

JJ was one of the favorite football players for WHRHS - Go Warriors! He had an outgoing personality and was a kind hearted fellow.

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