Robert Cletus “Bob” Baker was born on April 26, 1917 in Tuttle, Oklahoma. His parents, Zee Y. Baker and Judith Idella Aldridge were both born in Trigg County, Kentucky and his grandmother was Sarah Adeline Thomas. Prior to 1910, Zee and Della left Trigg County to settle In Oklahoma. After Bob was born in 1917, Zee and Della moved their family to the state of Washington. They settled in Tonasket, where they lived until their deaths.
Bob attended grade and high school in Tonasket and after becoming an adult he moved to Coulee Center, Washington where he made his home near the Grand Coulee Dam from 1937 to 1941.
In the early 1940s, Bob worked with a group of government engineers who were assigned to work in Alaska. His team was first assigned to work at Annette Island, Alaska which is about 250 miles south of Juneau in the Alaskan panhandle. Later the team was assigned to an isolated area of Alaska known as the Excursion Inlet, about 40 miles northwest of Juneau.
While at Excursion Inlet, Bob worked as a truck dispatcher living with other workers in a barracks. As the area was very isolated the workers, after several months, would chose any opportunity to get away for a change even if for a few hours. Bob was with a group of six men who chose to leave their camp by taking a boat trip across the strait to Hoonah, Alaska, on another island about 20 miles south of Excursion Inlet.
On June 5, 1943, the men chartered a boat known as the “Maybe” for their trip. The boat was piloted by a Mr. Clare who was known to be an able skipper. The trip was to take about three hours and the men arrived early at the dock, all happy to be able to forget about their isolation for a short time. Unfortunately, the boat was in the middle of the icy strait when trouble struck.
Apparently a collar around the boat’s propeller shaft came loose, letting the packing out and allowing the water into their boat. The men tried to bail the water out but were unable to keep up with the flow. They managed to put on their life jackets, but the boat would sink in less than seven minutes. The men pushed a small lifeboat over the side of the larger boat, but it turned upside down and the men were forced into the water. They tried to set boat afire but were unable to do so because it sank so quickly. They were in the water for about one and half hours. Clare, the skipper, was able to keep all the men together and he tried to keep them moving their arms and legs to increase their circulation but the water was extremely cold and soon the men were overcome and their heads fell over into the water. Bob held on to the last but not quite long enough. Help arrived from a passing boat and the men were rushed back to Excursion Inlet for care, but it was too late. Two of the men, including Clare the Skipper survived but the other four men including Bob died from exposure.
Bob, who never married was 27 years old at the time of his death. His siblings were Calvert P. Baker, Lorine Baker, Irene Baker, Wilbert W. Baker, Joe W. Baker, Evelyn Baker and Adelyn Baker. Bob’s body was returned to his hometown of Tonasket, where he was buried.
LINEAGE: (Robert Cletus “Bob” Baker was the son of Zee Y. and Judith Idella Aldridge Baker, grandson of Samuel Freeman and Sarah Adeline Thomas Baker and great-grandson of Stanley and Emily Ann Light Thomas. Stanley was the second child of Starkie and Mary Bridges Thomas. Starkie was the fourth child of James and Mary Standley Thomas. Mary was the seventh child of Drury and Mary Cohoon Bridges.)
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