David C. Baker

David Clifford Baker, 84, of LaFayette, NY, passed away peacefully at home on June 16, 2025. David was born on October 27, 1940 in Syracuse, NY, the son of Clifford and Genevieve (Crabtree) Baker.

 David grew up working on the family farm and graduated from LaFayette Central Schools in 1958, then went on to study at Morrisville State, earning a degree in Animal Science. David was employed at Bristol Myers-Squibb for 37 years before his retirement in 1999, proud to be a part of researching, testing, and creating many life saving medications.

 David served in the United States Army Reserves, retiring after 21 years as a First Sergeant in a combat engineer unit.

 David married Janine (Middleton) Baker on September 15, 1973, and they were married over 51 years until David’s passing.

 David drove all through his family’s farm property to find the best view of the city of Syracuse, and selected that place to build their home in 1974.

 David & Janine had three children, Juliann (Patrick) Quinn, of Homer, Amy (Brian) Hall of Little York, and Timothy (Christine) of LaFayette. David was incredibly proud of his three children, who all became public school educators. David was an even prouder grandfather to his six grandchildren, Lukas & Taryn Quinn, Cody & Logan Hall, and Jacob & Samuel Baker.

 David was the consummate family man, traveling near and far to support his children and grandchildren in their activities, or just to spend time together.

 David was a loyal community member, volunteering within the LaFayette and Town of Onondaga communities throughout his life. David served on the LaFayette Central Schools Board of Education in the 1990’s, and faithfully attended events at each of the schools in the district during and after his board tenure.

 David was a long time softball coach for the Apple Valley League, and always made sure his players had rides to and from practices and games so that they could play. Even after he stopped coaching, David still took great pride in mowing and lining the LaFayette Community Council ball fields.

 David was a member of the LaFayette Apple Festival Executive Board, and could be found painting signs or caretaking at “The Fest” grounds throughout the year. David was a long term member of the Town of Onondaga Republican Committee, campaigning for countless elections, while ensuring that the elderly still had rides to and from meetings and voting, regardless of party affiliation. David was also a member of the Town of Onondaga Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Board. While passionate about all of his community service, David’s greatest passion was his membership with LaFayette’s VFW Post #1955, renamed the Rod Craig Memorial VFW Post 1955 after David’s best friend and fellow veteran.

 David was predeceased by his parents, Clifford and Genevieve, and his mother in law, Muriel Middleton.

 In addition to his wife Janine and his children and grandchildren, David is survived by his sister, Gillian Shaffer, his special cousins Robert Crabtree, Lisa (Crabtree) Sofranko, and Anita Crabtree, and his nieces Deborah (Shaffer) Clark and Dawn (Shaffer) Comer.

 The family would like to extend their gratitude to the Portzline Day Program and DaVita Clinic for their loving care of David during his final year.

 A Celebration of David’s life will be held at the Rod Craig Memorial VFW Post 1955, 2456 Route 11 South, LaFayette, NY on Saturday, June 28, 2025 from 1-4pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Rod Craig Memorial VFW Post 1955, Post Office Box 51 LaFayette, NY 13084 or to the Portzline Day Program & Respite Center, 46 Cortland Street Homer, NY 13077.

 To leave a message of condolence for David’s family, or to share a special memory of David, please sign the guestbook below.