- Date Of Birth: November 9, 1926
- Date Of Death: November 18, 2009
- State: Florida
Mary Baker Waldrop, age 83, of Destin, Florida passed away peacefully on Wednesday, November 18,2009, after a brief illness and period of care at Fort Walton Beach Medical Center. She was preceded in death by her parents, two husbands, John Franklin Baker and Charles Allen Waldrop, and a daughter, Pamela Jane Baker. She is survived by her son, Steve Baker, and wife Joni, daughter Terri Griffin and husband, Robert, and many close friends.
She was born Mary Frances Rentschler on November 9, 1926, in Jacksonville, Illinois to Bertram and Gladys Rentschler. Mary met and married John Franklin Baker in 1948 in Knoxville, Illinois. The couple relocated to Fort Walton Beach, Florida, in 1955. In 1970, widowed, Mary returned to University of West Florida in Pensacola with daughter Pam and both completed their final two years of college to become teachers in the Okaloosa County School System. Mary taught 6th grade for several years at Elliot Point Elementary where she made many dear friends. She finished her career teaching at Destin Elementary then retired in 1988. In 1986, Mary married Charley Waldrop and recently mourned his passing on April 5, 2009. Mary was active in the Retired Teachers Association, and was a member of the American Legion Post # 296 Women’s Auxiliary and Honorary member at Destin Elks Lodge # 2688. She will be missed by her many friends in both these organizations.
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The family would like to extend its deepest appreciation to Dr. Buckelew, and all of the nurses on the third floor south of Fort Walton Beach Medical Center for their care of our mother; they were all just wonderful. Also thanks to the nurses and CNA’s at the Destin Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center for their tender loving care of our mother during her stay at that facility.
