Dorothea Wilma Baker Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Dotti was everyone's "Angel". If you needed help, she was always there; Not like a friend, More like a "Fairy Godmother" to look over you. Dorothea (Dotti) Wilma Baker, was born on May 27, 1946, in Camden, New Jersey. She was raised in the town of Bellmawr, in South Jersey. After graduation from Triton High School, Dotti worked in Philadelphia at the Jersey Shore, and in Wildwood for several years. She was always working to make enough money to pay for her 1954 Ford and an education. Dotti then traveled to the Midwest for her college years at Southern Illinois University. This is where she met her husband, Richard Baker. They married, on December 22, 1967, in Chicago where they lived, about a block from Lake Michigan. They had one son, Bradley. A new job opportunity led them to Minneapolis where Dotti got her BA degree in Education, with distinction, from the University of Minnesota. She loved her work as a Community Organizer, (like Obama) helping a community in Minneapolis. The community published a story about her, praising her successful efforts to help the residents and improve their area. Always looking for ways to help others, Dotti volunteered with a French organization, “Little Brothers, Flowers Before Bread,” that helped the elderly, in both Chicago and Minneapolis. She was everyone’s “Angel.” If you needed help, she was always there; not like a friend, more like a “Fairy Godmother,” to look over you. Dotti and Richard owned and managed a successful deli/catering business. After three years of hard work they sold the deli. Looking for adventure, and a new place to call home that wasn’t 40 degrees below zero, they bought a motorhome and traveled across the U.S.A. for a year. Dotti loved their time spent in Key West, Florida, next to the ocean. Wanting to be near their son, and Dotti’s relatives; and lived in Los Angeles for 18 years. While there, Dotti worked as a legal assistant for the Vons/Safeway chain of groceries at their main headquarters. She handled food product inquiries and instructed the company’s staff Deli managers of proper food handling, and sanitation measures. When they retired, after traveling in Florida and the Caribbean, looking for a new place to live. The Bakers ended up in Orlando to be near the rest of the Baker family: rich’s mom (Dhoya,)and dad (Clyde,) sisters (Donna and Laura.) Dotti never had an opportunity to be like an actor on stage, till she got a part-time job as an Educator, talking to hundreds about all the creatures at SeaWorld, Orlando. She did a great job and Rich was impressed. Dotti enjoyed going on transatlantic cruises, and traveling to new and favorite places in the U.S., Mexico, Caribbean, Polynesia and Europe. Being resourceful she found rental apartments for a month in NYC, Paris, French Riviera, Berlin, and Budapest. NYC, Paris and the Rivera were always her favorites. After a couple serious surgeries and learning of Dotti’s Alzheimer’s Disease, they decided it was time to move into an independent living facility, with health care; Orlando Lutheran Towers, in downtown Orlando, where Richard’s mother and father lived in their later years.

Dorothea Wilma Baker

May 27, 1946 - July 23, 2024