Obituary of Catherine C. Baker

A graveside service will be held for Catherine Cross Baker (Kit) of Redding, formerly a 53 year resident of Madison, NJ. She died Sunday evening, September 15th and is buried in Old Tennent Church Cemetery, Tennent, NJ. Born in 1917 in Jersey City NJ, she was raised in Westfield NJ and came to Madison in 1947. In 2000 she became a summer resident at Meadow Ridge Retirement Community in Redding and spent winters in Jupiter, FL. Kit remained a member of the Presbyterian Church of Madison where she had served on the Executive Board of the Womens Association in many capacities. She also served on Boards of Friends of the Library, the Independent Thrift Shop and the Madison Area Council of Church Women United. She was a past director of the UNICEF Campaign for the Madison Area. She had a background in advertising. Before her marriage she was on the Directory Advertising Staff for AT&T in New York. An accomplished genealogist, Kit researched family histories for many of her friends. She was a past member of the Madison Historical Society, New England Historical Genealogical Society, New Jersey Historical Society and a life member of the Palm Beach County Genealogical Society in Florida. She also wrote numerous articles for newspapers and periodicals. Other interests included a doll collection (1860s - 1960s) and the restoration and sale of antiques for the Independent Thrift Shop where she was a volunteer worker for 32 years. She was an avid gardener and a Life Member of Canoe Brook Country Club, Summit NJ, and a member of Jonathans Landing Golf Club in Jupiter. During the period 1960-1985 she traveled with her husband in Italy, Spain, England, Germany and Greece. When at Meadow Ridge in Redding, Kit partnered with another resident volunteering at the Town Hall to organize the burial records of those interred in the seven local cemeteries. These had not been arranged in many years and are now computerized. She also volunteered at the Keeler Tavern Museum in neighboring Ridgefield, CT and was an active participant in their Antiques and Treasures sale each summer. Her husband, Kennard, died in 1991. She is survived by 3 sons - Robert Kennard of Newtown CT, William Courtney of New York City and Southampton NY, and Bruce Alan Baker and his wife Dee Dee of Norwalk CT; 3 granddaughters - Sarah Elizabeth Baker Illingworth and her husband John of Carmel IN, Emily Bradford Baker Nocton and her husband Kenneth, also of Carmel IN, and Audrey Claire Baker of Boston, MA. There are 3 great-grandchildren - Charles Baker Illingworth, Anne Chapman Illingworth and John Philip Illingworth, Jr. (Jack) all of Carmel, IN. Interment was private. Arrangements were by the Edward Lawrence Funeral Home, Darien, CT. Funeral Home: Edward Lawrence Funeral Home 2119 Post Road Darien, CT USA 06820