*** Abendempfindung is a song in tribute by two of her grand-daughters, to their Oma, sung by Cara Young and accompanied on piano by Amy Young.
A Special Thank You to her dear friends whom she left behind..
Gean Bruner, Audrey Hoyack, Lupita Fontenot, Betty Moseley, Barbara Yates, Lydia Trevino. She loved each of you and cherished your friendship. Mike, Willie and I are so grateful for each of you. We are especially thankful for the beautiful flower arrangements sent by the Bruner Family, the Inge Roth Family, and by Mom's family at San Pedro Church of Christ. Ms. Bruner, you were always so thoughtful to visit her frequently and bring her stuffed animals to cheer her up. You also helped beyond words by being there for our family when our father died. Lupita, thank you for visiting her often and bringing her gifts. Ms. Hoyack, she loved having lunch with you and her other buddies. Ms. Moseley and Ms. Yates thank you for being such good friends throughout the years. Lydia, meeting you through the job at Luby's formed a lasting bond. Even though her memory failed her in the last few years, you were all so special to her and close to her heart. The angels at San Pedro always remembered her with cards as well. She saved every one of them. We know there are others, not mentioned here, that were also dear to her, some of whom we were unable to contact.
Please know that our family remembers all the kindness shown to our beloved mother and to us.
Hildegard "Hilde" Baker
Obituary (taken from her memoir to her children)
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Hildegard Geltl Baker, our mother, known to most as Hilde, was born in Munich, Germany on August 7, 1928 to Wilhelm Geltl and Therese Geltl, who were proprietors of a small restaurant-pub in Munich.
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Even though she had some happy memories, she had a relatively sad childhood. For unknown reasons, she was in a foster home for the first two years of her life, and came to live with her parents after that. She had an older brother, Harry, and a step-brother, Rudi. But her father died of a heart attack when she was seven and her mother died of a tubal pregnancy less than two years later. She and her brothers were orphaned when she was only 8 years old and they were separated because she went to live with one of her aunts. Harry and Rudi went to live and work as apprentices and were both shortly thereafter drafted into the German army.
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She was not shown great love by her aunt because her cousin, Elsa, died of tuberculosis. Her aunt became bitter toward Hilde because her own child had died and she felt forced to raise her. At least our mother found some joy when her aunt’s other daughter, Ida and her two children, Helga and Manfred, came to live with them after losing their husband and father in the war. She became very close to them.
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When she was eleven, World War II began. She lived through rations and bombings but many of her family and friends did not survive the war. After leaving home at age 17, the American troops had begun their occupation in Munich. This is when she met and fell in love with one soldier who broke her heart when his tour was up and he went back home. Then she met another soldier. The same thing happened. The third time was the charm because she finally met the true love of her life, our father, John L. Baker Jr. He too was an American soldier, but she knew he was the one because he was “polite and a real gentleman.” She said that she always felt protected by him.
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Directly after their marriage began, they were quickly brought back to the United States, where Michael was born and Mom became an American citizen. Two years later, they were transferred back to Germany, where Teresa was born, and finally back to San Antonio, Texas, after another two years, where William was born.
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Our Father went on to serve in the Korean War, which also led to the war in Vietnam. Mom was left with her three small children as a new American. At least she had his mother, our Grandma, Louise, to help her.
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Within three years of his return from war, our father became ill with myasthenia gravis and a few years later, he also came down with ALS. Our mother nursed him and remained faithful to our father, until he died at the age of 52. She became a widow when she was 51. When this happened, her dearest and closest friends in life, Sue Blasig, Gean Bruner, Audrey Hoyack, Betty Moseley, Barbara Yates and others stood by her and helped her to stay strong. In turn, our mother then stood by Sue when her own husband died and when Sue later became ill and also passed.
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Although Mom had many challenges in her life, she met each of them with courage and tenacity. We never questioned her deep love and commitment to her family. She was completely devoted. She and our Grandma are responsible, of course by God’s grace, for leading all three of us children and also our father to Christ. She had become a Christian herself when we were still very young.
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She had good health most of her life. It wasn’t until Covid-19 hit in 2020 that she started to lose her memory. Once she was no longer able to get out with her dear friends, being secluded took its’ toll and dementia began to set in. She had a fall on Christmas Day later that same year and broke her hip. That is when the dementia quickly progressed in severity.
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At 95 years of age, her frail body could no longer keep up. Our mother went home to her Loving Father in Heaven, during the early morning hours on February 3, 2024. (We don’t know the exact time of her passing, but knowing her and how orderly she was, it was at 12 a.m. on the dot). All three of us were with her.
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Among her favorite things were spending time with her children and her five grandchildren, taking numerous trips back to her homeland in Germany to visit family and friends, and looking at her many photographs and talking about the stories behind them. She also had a huge heart for animals, especially her loyal dogs, Punkin and Bonbon.
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Hilde was preceded in death by her husband, John L. Baker Jr., her mother and father, Therese and Wilhelm Geltl. Her brother Harry Geltl and step-brother Rudi and cousins, Ida Humbold, Helga Helferich and Manfred Roth and also her dearest friend, Sue Blasig.
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Hilde is survived by her son, Michael Baker and Catherine Baker, her daughter, Teresa Baker Young and husband John Young, and by her son William Baker. Also, her grandchildren, Cara Young, Amy Young and Kimberly Young Holzer and husband Garrett Holzer, and Valerie Baker and Michael John Baker. She is also survived by relatives in Germany, Harry Geltl Jr. and wife Josefine, their children, Peter Helferich and his children and grandchildren from Helga, Inge Roth and her children with Manfred, Reinhold Humbold and wife Gabi and their children and also her friend Hendrik Duijve, who was like a brother to her. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews on her husband, John’s side. She will be greatly missed and remembered fondly by her many friends as well.
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It was an honor for Mike, Willie, and I to call her our “Mom.” We look forward to being with her again in heaven.