Barbara Baker, 1925–2026, was ‘patient and kind and always someone you could talk to’

Barbara J. (Ferris) Baker, of Waltham, passed away peacefully at home on Jan. 11, 2026. She was 100.

Born in Worcester on Feb. 14, 1925, Barbara was the daughter of Allen and Olive (Stake) Ferris. She grew up in Roslindale and graduated from Girls’ Latin School in Boston. 

Barbara married her high school sweetheart, Watertown native Robert Baker, on Sep. 9, 1945. They met years earlier as kids at Whitehorse Beach in Plymouth, and from then on, they were inseparable, always loving their time together. They made their home in Waltham and raised six children there. 

She was very busy in life, taking care of six kids, a husband, two dogs, and a home. Through it all, she always made time for each of her children. Always teaching them how to cook while practicing math at the same time. She loved sharing stories with her children about her pet monkey and what she was like growing up. 

At the same time, her grandchildren and great-grandchildren only knew her as the sweetest, kindest Grammy. She absolutely adored them. She was also incredibly funny, with a sense of humor that stuck with her right to the end. Barbara loved life deeply. She enjoyed family, food, dogs and life. She was patient and kind and always someone you could talk to. 

She was predeceased by her husband, Robert Baker, and her daughter, the late MaryJane Baker. 

Barbara leaves behind her sons, Timothy Baker and Bob Baker, her daughters, Pamela Coleman (wife of the late Martin Coleman III) and Diane Sears (wife of the late Paul Sears), all of Waltham, and Jodi Humphreys and her husband Richard of Framingham; her grandchildren Jessalyn, MaryJane and Benjamin; and her great-grandchildren, Elliana, Isabella, Robert Paul, Wesley and Cyrus. 

Services for Barbara will be held privately.