Nora Edith Baker, 92, Groton, CT formerly of Clinton, passed away on Wednesday, March 20, 2019 at her home in CT. Fond memories and condolences may be left online at www.vansant-millsfuneralhome.com .  Edith will Lie in State on Friday, March 29, 2019 from 12-5pm at Vansant-Mills Funeral Home. A graveside service will be on Saturday, March 30, 2019 at 10am at Englewood Cemetery, Clinton, Missouri. The family suggests memorial contributions be made to the Northeast Baptist Church building fund and may be left in care of the funeral home.

Edith was born August 19, 1926 to Thomas Garfield and Lillian Hudnall Stewart in Eight Mile (now Blount), West Virginia. She went to be with her Lord on March 20, 2019 at her home in Groton, Connecticut at the age of 92 years.

She was the fourth of five children and grew up in Eight Mile and Kayford, West Virginia. Her father was a coal miner, and her mother worked hard at home to raise five children during the depression years. Money was scarce, but love was not.

As a young adult, Edith moved to Cincinnati, Ohio and worked as a department store elevator operator and later as a nurse's aide. She was a conscientious and very observant aide, and recalled helping to diagnose several challenging cases.

She met Paul William Baker during this time. After marrying in 1950, they moved to Missouri where Paul worked for the Katy Railroad. Paul enlisted in the Air Force in 1951 during the Korean War; requiring them to move around the South. They made their homes in Mississippi, Texas, and Louisiana. In 1953 in Mississippi, their first child, Paul Jr. was born. A second child, John Edward, was born in 1955 in Texas but did not survive. The family returned to Missouri after Paul left the Air Force, and a third child was born in 1958, Anita Eileen.

Paul and Edith moved to Clinton in 1959, where she devoted herself to raising her two children and making a good home for them. She was a great cook, a hard-working mother, and she did her best to guide her children and give them happy memories.

As her children grew older, she worked part time in several retail stores in Clinton and joined Northeast Baptist Church, where her faith grew stronger. Once the nest was empty, she devoted her spare time to church work and volunteering at the Samaritan Center. She was also very active in several women's clubs in town.

Edith was outgoing and made good friends wherever she went. She had a contagious smile and was always a dependable friend. Although she went through serious challenges and illnesses; it was not until a stroke slowed her down that she considered leaving her church, neighbors, and many very dear friends in Clinton. She moved to Connecticut in 2015 to live near her daughter and granddaughter Lauren, but always maintained her very strong spirit of independence.

By God's grace, at age 88 she met the love of her life, Francis "Mac" McMahon--a retired Coast Guard Warrant Officer--who resides in the same independent living center. The two became inseparable and shared four years of great happiness.

Edith's many friends know of her competitive spirit. She loved to enter contests and play bingo—usually winning! Bingo was played four times a week at her new home in Connecticut, and her competitive spirit couldn't be held down. A bad day was when she won only one of the ten bingo games played. If you called her on the phone during bingo, you were likely to hear "I'm in Bingo," followed by a loud "click."

Another of Edith's talents was for writing poetry. Her poetry was printed in Capper's Weekly, the Daily Democrat, Guideposts, and the monthly newsletter published by her independent living center (where she had her own byline for a time). She found inspiration in her friends, her family, God's love and creations, and the events of daily life.

Despite going through many losses and struggles, Edith maintained her zest for life, strong faith in God, and a devotion to family and friends. She enjoyed and celebrated life each and every day, and she will be greatly missed.

Edith is predeceased by her mother and father; husband Paul; beloved sons Paul Jr. and John Edward; two sisters Mary Stewart and Margaret Darby; and one brother, Ernest Stewart. Surviving are her companion Mac McMahon, daughter Eileen (Gary) Staples, granddaughter Lauren, and youngest brother Lowell Thomas Stewart.

A "Forever Place"

I'm walking in sunshine and tripping over rainbows,

looking for that pot of gold.

Wanting to "live in a land of love;"

needing a "Forever Place"

But when I open my eyes, the miracle is all around me;

that gold is the sunset of each bright new day.

That "land of love" is my many friends,

and we dwell together in our "Forever Place."

Edith Baker   January 16, 2016