Donald Paul (Shorty) Baker, age 87, of Prospect, OH, went peacefully to be with his Lord and Savior on March 31, 2013, at his home.

He was born on January 21, 1926 in Martinsburg, PA to the late Elmer Crawford and Vema Belle (Latta) Baker. He was the 12th of 15 children. His parents, seven brothers and seven sisters all proceeded him in death.

Don enlisted in the Navy in 1943 and served 2 ~ years in the Pacific. He and 6 of his brothers served in the Army and Navy during WWII.

In 1948 Don moved to Marion, OH in search of work. He held various jobs in Marion before hiring on with Wenham Transportation in 1950 as a dispatcher/truck driver. In 1956 he started driving for Fruitbelt Motor Service which became Signal Delivery Service in 1970. He retired from driving truck in 1991 after almost 42 years in the trucking industry.

Don married the former Myrna Onalee Gephart in 1950. After raising four daughters and celebrating 51 years of marriage together she preceded him in death in January 2002.

He was an active and beloved member of Marion Christian Center since 1973. He loved the children and was part of the Sunday School Department, where he worked with the 3 - 5 year olds for 25 years. You could always find Don in the middle of whatever was going on at MCC, whether is was construction, building and property maintenance, driving the children on outings or serving the members. He was a deacon for many years and one of his favorite areas to serve was the MCC Food Pantry which provided food to hundreds of people each month. He loved helping people.

Don is survived and will be greatly missed by his wife Diane (Glazier) Baker; his four daughters, Sheryl Lynn Stapleton of Marion, Lynda Sue (Michael) Casperson of Marysville, Janice Louise Pelfrey of Marion and Gayle Ann Baker of Marion; seven grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren; numerous nieces and nephews; and two sister-in-laws.

The family will receive guests from 1 to 3 and 5 to 8 pm on April 4, 2013 at Marion Christian Center. A celebration of Don's life will be held at 11 am, on April 5th, at Marion Christian Center with Pastor Perry Payne officiating. There will be a brief time for viewing before the service. A grave side service will follow in Marion Cemetery. Military rites will be performed by the Marion County United Veteran's Council.