Dori Baker

I moved to Stockton California in 1986. It was a great summer... I was freshly double digits (10) and back home from Louisiana after a year with my grandmother Moore. My parents had bought a house on Friar St. (our first purchased home) and had bought all new furniture for all of us. We felt like little princes and princesses.

That summer I met the girl that lived 2 doors down. Her name was Dori Baker. She was a year older than me and made sure I remembered that. She was tall like me, funny and had a great older brother named Frank. We hit it off right away and started to hang out. School year after school year, drama and trauma with friends and through our four eventful summers we remained friends.

I particularly remember our endeavours to make money. From washing cars all over the neighborhood to babysitting... I think we even tried mowing lawns. We had a detective agency one summer even. Can't recall if we ever solved anything. Either way we always seemed to make it down to Tony's Pizza for a calzone or to the grocery store for ice cream.

As time crept by... we eventually went to different schools, made our own friends and my family moved away from Friar St. Though we didn't hang out anymore, we always found a way to bump into one another and catch-up.

After I moved to Washington, I found her on classmates.com.... Yes, that site really works. This was before you had to pay for everything. Come to find out we lived in the same state, she was down in Vancouver. She had married the man of her dreams (JJ) and had a little girl (Haylee). We hooked up for Haylee's birthday and that was the last time we saw each other face to face. Although we did keep in contact through e-mail.

Then 2 weeks ago I received unsettling news that Dori had passed away.

At first I thought... "how unreal" it felt. In my mind, if felt like she was still alive somewhere out there. This was my first childhood friend to go on. She was only 32. It didn't make sense. How could it? Her daughter, husband, parents and brother Frank lost a part of themselves that day.

The same week I found out about Dori, 2 other people that crossed my path went on to be with the Lord. Myles Corrigan from my job here at Northwest and Bro. Archie Harris from my job back at Samuel Hancock/Christ Temple Church. So in the span of 4 days, 3 people were just not here anymore. I really haven't known how to process all of this.

But I know one thing is true... Blessed are they that mourn, for they will be comforted. I've been trying to not think about Dori or any of the people that passed. But the last couple of days I've been thinking about her and how she touched my life. She was somebody special and she touched my life for a season. Taking the time to mourn and honor her life has brought comfort to me.

So this is my memorial for her...

Till later... Nic