Velma Berniece Baker

Velma Berniece Baker of Elmore City, Oklahoma was born March 11, 1934 to Ada Pearl (Richardson) and Norman Madison Claxton on March 11, 1934 in Rosedale, Oklahoma. She passed into her eternal life with her Lord and Savior on December 8, 2011 at the age of 77. Berniece graduated from Pauls Valley High School in 1952 and then met the love of her life, Harvey Baker of Maysville. She had always said she fell in love with him “the moment she saw this dark, handsome man get out of the car, and he kept coming and coming, because he was so tall!” They were married February 20th, 1953 and had celebrated 58 years together this year. Berniece was a wife and homemaker, a wonderful Mom to her three girls and Nanny to all her grandchildren and Nanny Baker to her great-grandchildren. She loved all her grandchildren dearly and they never failed to put a gleam in her eye when they came to visit. She was a Christian whom valued God and family above all and instilled the same in her daughters. Berniece was a member of the First Baptist Church of Elmore City since 1957 and loved working at church with the 4 and 5 yrs old class which she did as long as her health would allow. Even after she couldn’t attend, she still continued to send out ‘missed you’ cards and would bake her sought after cakes and make her delicious Divinity candy. Many people will remember Berniece as a dental assistant in Pauls Valley, the profession she loved and enjoyed so much. The trips that Dr. Paul Watkins took his ‘girls’ each year was something she looked forward to, but mainly, she enjoyed visiting with the patients day to day and being around her co-workers. Berniece was a loving and faithful wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt and friend. She is survived by her husband Harvey, her daughters Donna and husband Keith Blackburn of Elmore City, Brenda and her husband Darrell Robison of Tulsa, and Kathy and her husband Craig Brooks of Oklahoma City. ‘Nanny’ had 7 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren: Brian and Dee Langdon (Sydney and Ryley) of Mansfield, Tx.; Casey and Kelli Langdon (Caleb, Christian and Cameron) of Mustang, Ok.; Corie and Justin Kaiser (Garon and Grady) of Edmond, Ok.; Brent Robison of Broken Arrow, Ok.; USMC LCpl Zach Robison – deployed to Afghanistan; and Chase and Cole Brooks of Oklahoma City, Ok. Berniece was preceded in death by her parents and 2 sisters, June Coward and Wilma Rowe. She is survived by 2 brothers, Bill Claxton of Ada, Ok. and Kenny Claxton of Davis, Ok. 2 sisters, Frieda Williamson of Norman, Ok. and Shirley Hall of Cushing, Ok.

Velma Berniece Baker

March 11, 1934 - December 8, 2011