Libby B. Baker

LIBBY B. BAKER

Funeral services for Cortez resident Libby B. Baker will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 3, 2022 at Ertel Memorial Chapel. Interment will follow at Cortez Cemetery.
Livedita Baca, or more lovingly known as, Libby, was born in San Rafael, N.M. on February 2, 1934, to Procopio and Luz (Marino) Baca. Libby was born into a large family. She had 13 brothers and sisters. She and her siblings grew up in Grants, N.M. and the surrounding area. She always spoke fondly of her siblings. She met and married Marcelino DuBois in Albuquerque, N.M. They had two daughters, Marcella and Julie. After divorcing, she stayed in the Grants, N.M. area and he moved back to Albuquerque. Libby then welcomed her third daughter, Joyce, to the family. She met and married Bill Baker and moved to San Francisco, California. Due to Bill’s employment, they moved around to various places in California including Hayward and Plymouth and thereafter moved to Kemmerer, Wyoming. She then divorced Bill and decided to move her and her three girls back home to New Mexico. On their way, car trouble caused them to break down in Cortez, CO. Because of the cost to repair her car, Libby was forced to get a job to provide for her girls while her car was being fixed. She became established in Cortez and never made it back to Grants. Libby passed away on Tuesday, August 23, 2022, at her residence at the age of 88.
Libby spent her life serving and caring for others, whether it be her beloved family or her clients/customers. She was known to be a hard worker and worked in various places while living in Cortez, including The Pony Express, The Cortez Hotel, SWMH, Madison House, Vista Grande, and eventually Community Connections.
Libby was a first-generation Christian. Because of her, the gospel was spread throughout her family and beyond. She loved Jesus and knew that she needed to make a change for herself and her girls. She spent much of her life serving Christ.
One of Libby’s favorite things to do was to cook for her family. She made sure they were well fed even up to the end of her life. Family gatherings at Nana’s house were something all of us loved and enjoyed and we will miss this time that we spent with her and each other. And let’s be honest, we are all going to miss her food too. She put so much love into each dish she made. She will be remembered fondly for her time spent making tortillas, sopapillas, enchiladas, and so much more. If you were under the age of ten, she always made you your own mini tortilla, and even though there might be five or more children present, she knew exactly which tortilla belonged to which kid. She understood that the recipe didn’t have to be lavish or fancy, it only had to bring the people she loved together.
Another thing Libby loved was to travel. She’d grab one of her grandkids and hit the road. Many of her grandkids have fond memories of traveling with her whether it be the music she listened to, the random adventures that would happen along the way, or her obsession with passing every vehicle in front of her. As long as she had her purse, which seemed to possess anything any human may ever need, everything would be fine.
She loved her family so much and would do next to anything for them, literally. Whether it was wrestling a pit bull off of a beloved family pet or peeling grapes for a picky toddler, she willingly did it because she loved her family without limits.
Libby loved to laugh and had a tenacious spirit. She laughed without reservation which often resulted in tears running down her cheeks. Her tenacity carried her through heart ache and trouble. She set an example of an irrepressible spirit which she passed on to so many of us. The tenacious spirit that preserved and propelled her, and now lives on in us, will be her legacy. It will be her final gift to us here on earth. It will help us to graciously lay her to rest and continue to live our lives in a way that honors who she was.
Nana, we will miss you terribly. We love you.
Surviving Libby are her daughters, Marcella Rush of Casa Grande, AZ. and Julie Roe (Grant) of Cortez; 10 grandchildren, 35 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; by her daughter, Joyce Garcia; by her grandsons, Jeric and Christopher Rush; and by numerous brothers and sisters.