A Macomb woman who was part of the World War II Waves and was the face of female veterans of her time has passed away at age 104.
Grace (Myers) Baker (aka 'Amazing Grace') of Macomb died Nov. 2 at Wesley Village in Macomb. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14 at University Baptist Church. Visitation will be held from 1-4 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 13 at Dodsworth-Piper- Wallen.
Baker's legacy was recently put into writing by a local teenage author and illustrators as part of the 'A Book by Me: Stories Written by Kids for Kids' project. Baker's story, 'Loose Lips Sink Ships' (Heroes Series Book #58), was written by Brenna Chatterton, of Avon, and illustrated by her sisters, AnnaMary and Hadassah. She also wrote her memoir at the age of 102. It is available through the McDonough County Genealogical Society (MCGS) in the Western Illinois Museum.
When Congress established the WAC and WAVE military corps in 1942, Baker wanted to help the national cause. She enlisted in the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) in Summer 1943 and by the close of that year, she was one of 27,000 women serving in the U.S. Navy.
Designated a Yeoman Second Class, Baker drew a WAVE assignment in Washington, D.C., where she worked for Naval Intelligence, where she was informed that she should forget everything she saw or did. She was told, 'Loose lips sink ships.' She spent much of her free time at the Women's Center (USO), and it was there that she met one of the center's regular volunteers, Bess Truman, wife of then-Vice President Harry Truman.
Baker remained in the WAVES until 1946. Then, it was back to McDonough County, where she attended WIU during the late 1940s.
Committed to helping children, she taught for a period of time and later worked as a librarian. She eventually married WIU Alumnus Bill Baker, who managed the former Lamoine Hotel, and raised Bill's son, Lindy (also a WIU graduate and former WIU Photographer) as her own. Besides serving as an election judge over many decades, including the November 2020 election when she was 98, Grace also was a member of several agencies including the McDonough County Genealogical Society, Tri-States Audio Information Services (AIS), American Legion Auxiliary, McDonough District Hospital Auxiliary, University Baptist Church and the Retired Teachers.
'I was fortunate to work with Grace at the McDonough County Genealogical Society for quite a few years. She was, as her obituary stated, amazing. Grace was a charter member of the MCGS, and volunteered at the society off and on, until after she turned 100 years of age. She was the person responsible for cataloging the MCGS center's book collection, and also worked hard at keeping the Society’s obituary files processed,' said Marla Vizdal of Macomb. 'Grace and I shared many stories of researching our families, and in 2023, Grace approached me with a manuscript she had written for her family and friends about her life adventures, and asked me to read it. 'Did I think anyone else would like to read it?' 'Was it interesting?' 'Could it be published?' Of course, it could. After working with Grace to make a few minor edits in the text, 'Adventures of a Lifetime: Stories of One Woman's Journey went to print.
'Grace was a determined lady who wasn't afraid. She was a woman who seldom listened when she was told 'not to,' or 'you shouldn't.' As she aged, Grace’s doctors suggested she change her living situation to one where she didn’t have to climb stairs. Her response was, 'My bathroom and bedroom are upstairs, and I could walk up and down those stairs JUST FINE,'' Vizdal recalled. 'When Grace was younger, she and her husband and son enjoyed traveling and camping. After Bill died, Grace continued to do weekend camping with a friend. When Grace decided to go cross country to see her sister, she was determined she could drive her van to California by herself. The trip went as planned and Grace took the time to enjoy the drive and many stops along the way. Grace was very proud of her family’s military record. In her home and then, in her room at Wesley, she proudly hung pictures of members of her family, who served in the Civil War, WWI and WWII, which included her grandfather, mother and father, herself and two of her brothers. Even a week before her death, when I went to visit, she made sure I saw the pictures and reminded me of who they were.'
