Published in The Courier-Journal on August 12, 2010
Phoenix Alexandrea Baker
BAKER, PHOENIX ALEXANDREA, 4, of Portland, passed away Wednesday, August 10, 2010 at Kosair Children's Hospital.
She is survived by her mother, Terra Hicks (James); father, Terry Baker (Trish); half brother and sister, William and Raven Mae Baker; grandparents, Vance and Patricia Hicks, stepgrandparents, Keith and Tracy Miller.
Funeral service will be 11 a.m. Friday at J.B. Ratterman & Sons Funeral Home, 2114 West Market Street, with burial in Evergreen Cemetery. Visitation will be 1-8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.
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Published on WHAS11.com August 11, 2010
by Claudia Coffey
WHAS11.com
Posted on August 11, 2010 at 3:42 PM
Updated yesterday at 6:25 PM
Louisville, Ky. (WHAS11) - For the first time since her 4-year-old daughter drowned in a small backyard baby pool, Terra Hicks is speaking out about that tragic day. Her boyfriend was watching Phoenix Baker, 4, and she says he only stepped away for two minutes, but when he returned, it was already too late.
Hicks says she remembers thousands of precious moments with her daughter, Phoenix. "She'd look at me with her beautiful eyes and smile and give me a kiss and look at me again and say mama, " said Hicks.
Phoenix was found face down in their backyard baby pool on Monday, and died at the hospital on Tuesday.
Hicks holds onto her daughter's favorite pink necklace for support as she speaks to WHAS11 about her daughter and that tragic day.
"I'm just holding up barely. Doing my best," said Hicks.
She says Phoenix was a girly-girl who loved playing dress-up, but just couldn't resist playing in mud and being a tomboy.
"She wasn't afraid of nothing [sic]," says Hicks.
She says Phoenix was excited about starting preschool.
"I went out and bought her some uniforms and she had tried them on and she loved the uniforms," added Hicks.
But when the topic turns to what happened on Monday, she says it's too difficult to talk about.
She says her boyfriend watched Phoenix that day. They played in the park and then the pool. Hicks described talking to Phoenix one last time. "And later that day, I talked to her on the cell phone and she was telling me how much fun she was having playing the park and all the places she had been . And she told me how much she loved me and I told her how much I loved her," Hicks said.
She says her boyfriend James went inside to use the restroom for no more than two minutes and when he returned, Phoenix was face down in the pool. EMS took her to Kosair, but she died Tuesday morning.
"She was in father's arms and her legs were in my lap and we took her off the ventilator and we let her die peacefully in our arms," Hicks said.
She says it's been hurtful to hear some of the criticism placed on her and her boyfriend, James.
"It's just an accident, a freak accident," Hicks told WHAS11.
Instead, she wants people to focus on her daughter and the short but beautiful life she led.
"She's just a little angel and I will always miss her and love her so much," said Hicks.
The Commonwealth's Attorney's Office will make the final decision on charges, but so far no charges have been filed. The family has set up a fund to help pay for the cost of the funeral and burial at PNC banks in Louisville and Southern Indiana under the Phoenix Alexandrea Baker fund.
Phoenix Alexandrea Baker
BAKER, PHOENIX ALEXANDREA, 4, of Portland, passed away Wednesday, August 10, 2010 at Kosair Children's Hospital.
She is survived by her mother, Terra Hicks (James); father, Terry Baker (Trish); half brother and sister, William and Raven Mae Baker; grandparents, Vance and Patricia Hicks, stepgrandparents, Keith and Tracy Miller.
Funeral service will be 11 a.m. Friday at J.B. Ratterman & Sons Funeral Home, 2114 West Market Street, with burial in Evergreen Cemetery. Visitation will be 1-8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.
***********************************************************
Published on WHAS11.com August 11, 2010
by Claudia Coffey
WHAS11.com
Posted on August 11, 2010 at 3:42 PM
Updated yesterday at 6:25 PM
Louisville, Ky. (WHAS11) - For the first time since her 4-year-old daughter drowned in a small backyard baby pool, Terra Hicks is speaking out about that tragic day. Her boyfriend was watching Phoenix Baker, 4, and she says he only stepped away for two minutes, but when he returned, it was already too late.
Hicks says she remembers thousands of precious moments with her daughter, Phoenix. "She'd look at me with her beautiful eyes and smile and give me a kiss and look at me again and say mama, " said Hicks.
Phoenix was found face down in their backyard baby pool on Monday, and died at the hospital on Tuesday.
Hicks holds onto her daughter's favorite pink necklace for support as she speaks to WHAS11 about her daughter and that tragic day.
"I'm just holding up barely. Doing my best," said Hicks.
She says Phoenix was a girly-girl who loved playing dress-up, but just couldn't resist playing in mud and being a tomboy.
"She wasn't afraid of nothing [sic]," says Hicks.
She says Phoenix was excited about starting preschool.
"I went out and bought her some uniforms and she had tried them on and she loved the uniforms," added Hicks.
But when the topic turns to what happened on Monday, she says it's too difficult to talk about.
She says her boyfriend watched Phoenix that day. They played in the park and then the pool. Hicks described talking to Phoenix one last time. "And later that day, I talked to her on the cell phone and she was telling me how much fun she was having playing the park and all the places she had been . And she told me how much she loved me and I told her how much I loved her," Hicks said.
She says her boyfriend James went inside to use the restroom for no more than two minutes and when he returned, Phoenix was face down in the pool. EMS took her to Kosair, but she died Tuesday morning.
"She was in father's arms and her legs were in my lap and we took her off the ventilator and we let her die peacefully in our arms," Hicks said.
She says it's been hurtful to hear some of the criticism placed on her and her boyfriend, James.
"It's just an accident, a freak accident," Hicks told WHAS11.
Instead, she wants people to focus on her daughter and the short but beautiful life she led.
"She's just a little angel and I will always miss her and love her so much," said Hicks.
The Commonwealth's Attorney's Office will make the final decision on charges, but so far no charges have been filed. The family has set up a fund to help pay for the cost of the funeral and burial at PNC banks in Louisville and Southern Indiana under the Phoenix Alexandrea Baker fund.
Published in The Courier-Journal on August 12, 2010
Phoenix Alexandrea Baker
BAKER, PHOENIX ALEXANDREA, 4, of Portland, passed away Wednesday, August 10, 2010 at Kosair Children's Hospital.
She is survived by her mother, Terra Hicks (James); father, Terry Baker (Trish); half brother and sister, William and Raven Mae Baker; grandparents, Vance and Patricia Hicks, stepgrandparents, Keith and Tracy Miller.
Funeral service will be 11 a.m. Friday at J.B. Ratterman & Sons Funeral Home, 2114 West Market Street, with burial in Evergreen Cemetery. Visitation will be 1-8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.
***********************************************************
Published on WHAS11.com August 11, 2010
by Claudia Coffey
WHAS11.com
Posted on August 11, 2010 at 3:42 PM
Updated yesterday at 6:25 PM
Louisville, Ky. (WHAS11) - For the first time since her 4-year-old daughter drowned in a small backyard baby pool, Terra Hicks is speaking out about that tragic day. Her boyfriend was watching Phoenix Baker, 4, and she says he only stepped away for two minutes, but when he returned, it was already too late.
Hicks says she remembers thousands of precious moments with her daughter, Phoenix. "She'd look at me with her beautiful eyes and smile and give me a kiss and look at me again and say mama, " said Hicks.
Phoenix was found face down in their backyard baby pool on Monday, and died at the hospital on Tuesday.
Hicks holds onto her daughter's favorite pink necklace for support as she speaks to WHAS11 about her daughter and that tragic day.
"I'm just holding up barely. Doing my best," said Hicks.
She says Phoenix was a girly-girl who loved playing dress-up, but just couldn't resist playing in mud and being a tomboy.
"She wasn't afraid of nothing [sic]," says Hicks.
She says Phoenix was excited about starting preschool.
"I went out and bought her some uniforms and she had tried them on and she loved the uniforms," added Hicks.
But when the topic turns to what happened on Monday, she says it's too difficult to talk about.
She says her boyfriend watched Phoenix that day. They played in the park and then the pool. Hicks described talking to Phoenix one last time. "And later that day, I talked to her on the cell phone and she was telling me how much fun she was having playing the park and all the places she had been . And she told me how much she loved me and I told her how much I loved her," Hicks said.
She says her boyfriend James went inside to use the restroom for no more than two minutes and when he returned, Phoenix was face down in the pool. EMS took her to Kosair, but she died Tuesday morning.
"She was in father's arms and her legs were in my lap and we took her off the ventilator and we let her die peacefully in our arms," Hicks said.
She says it's been hurtful to hear some of the criticism placed on her and her boyfriend, James.
"It's just an accident, a freak accident," Hicks told WHAS11.
Instead, she wants people to focus on her daughter and the short but beautiful life she led.
"She's just a little angel and I will always miss her and love her so much," said Hicks.
The Commonwealth's Attorney's Office will make the final decision on charges, but so far no charges have been filed. The family has set up a fund to help pay for the cost of the funeral and burial at PNC banks in Louisville and Southern Indiana under the Phoenix Alexandrea Baker fund.
Phoenix Alexandrea Baker
BAKER, PHOENIX ALEXANDREA, 4, of Portland, passed away Wednesday, August 10, 2010 at Kosair Children's Hospital.
She is survived by her mother, Terra Hicks (James); father, Terry Baker (Trish); half brother and sister, William and Raven Mae Baker; grandparents, Vance and Patricia Hicks, stepgrandparents, Keith and Tracy Miller.
Funeral service will be 11 a.m. Friday at J.B. Ratterman & Sons Funeral Home, 2114 West Market Street, with burial in Evergreen Cemetery. Visitation will be 1-8 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home.
***********************************************************
Published on WHAS11.com August 11, 2010
by Claudia Coffey
WHAS11.com
Posted on August 11, 2010 at 3:42 PM
Updated yesterday at 6:25 PM
Louisville, Ky. (WHAS11) - For the first time since her 4-year-old daughter drowned in a small backyard baby pool, Terra Hicks is speaking out about that tragic day. Her boyfriend was watching Phoenix Baker, 4, and she says he only stepped away for two minutes, but when he returned, it was already too late.
Hicks says she remembers thousands of precious moments with her daughter, Phoenix. "She'd look at me with her beautiful eyes and smile and give me a kiss and look at me again and say mama, " said Hicks.
Phoenix was found face down in their backyard baby pool on Monday, and died at the hospital on Tuesday.
Hicks holds onto her daughter's favorite pink necklace for support as she speaks to WHAS11 about her daughter and that tragic day.
"I'm just holding up barely. Doing my best," said Hicks.
She says Phoenix was a girly-girl who loved playing dress-up, but just couldn't resist playing in mud and being a tomboy.
"She wasn't afraid of nothing [sic]," says Hicks.
She says Phoenix was excited about starting preschool.
"I went out and bought her some uniforms and she had tried them on and she loved the uniforms," added Hicks.
But when the topic turns to what happened on Monday, she says it's too difficult to talk about.
She says her boyfriend watched Phoenix that day. They played in the park and then the pool. Hicks described talking to Phoenix one last time. "And later that day, I talked to her on the cell phone and she was telling me how much fun she was having playing the park and all the places she had been . And she told me how much she loved me and I told her how much I loved her," Hicks said.
She says her boyfriend James went inside to use the restroom for no more than two minutes and when he returned, Phoenix was face down in the pool. EMS took her to Kosair, but she died Tuesday morning.
"She was in father's arms and her legs were in my lap and we took her off the ventilator and we let her die peacefully in our arms," Hicks said.
She says it's been hurtful to hear some of the criticism placed on her and her boyfriend, James.
"It's just an accident, a freak accident," Hicks told WHAS11.
Instead, she wants people to focus on her daughter and the short but beautiful life she led.
"She's just a little angel and I will always miss her and love her so much," said Hicks.
The Commonwealth's Attorney's Office will make the final decision on charges, but so far no charges have been filed. The family has set up a fund to help pay for the cost of the funeral and burial at PNC banks in Louisville and Southern Indiana under the Phoenix Alexandrea Baker fund.
