Obituary of Bill Baker
Bill (William) Ross Baker passed away suddenly in Fort St. John, BC on June 22nd, 2025 at the age of 77. Bill was born in Meaford, Ontario December 5th, 1947 to Gar & Win Baker. He grew up with his 3 brothers & 1 sister on a farm 16 miles from Meaford where he developed his well-known work ethic. The Baker family moved to the Peace River area in the summer of 1962.
Bill went to work immediately horse wrangling for Gary Powel. He spent the winter working at the Boundary plant and earned enough to buy his first piece of equipment, an old Cat 12 grader.
Bill soon met Valree Gould who would become the love of his life. They were married May 3rd, 1969 and within 2 years had their first son in 1971. Their second son came in 1975 and were the only children from Bill & Valree. Bill is survived by his beloved wife of 56 years Valree, their First son Wade (wife Cindy & 3 grandchildren Dalten, Cole & Adryanna) & second son Chad (wife Tarryn). Many would say Bill had many surrogate children whom he loved dearly.
Bill was renowned for his work ethic and ability to get along with just about anybody. He spent the majority of his life (62 years) in some form of the Oil & Gas Industry. Most of it on the construction side (building roads & leases) but did venture out to the pipeline side with Enbridge where he realized a need for a valve he spent the past 10 years developing. He organized 2 City of Fort St. John cleanups, won Citizen of the Year in 1991 and volunteered with many different organizations over the years.
Bill was a very sociable and unique man. He had a sense of humour that everyone who knew him enjoyed & he had nicknames for more people than we can count. He could make anyone feel welcome and a part of the family. He believed strongly in God but never forced his beliefs on anyone. He will be missed dearly by those who knew and loved him.
Bill’s Celebration of Life will be held July 9th, 2025 at the Taylor Community Hall at 11:00 am.
In lieu of flowers or donations to any particular organization, the family asks you offer your time and help to someone who may need it.
This was Bill’s way.
