Maxine Baker

Dates

Obituary

Maxine Baker, 101, of Mitchell, SD, died Thursday, July 3, 2025, at her home under hospice care with help from Faith Home Church and surrounded by family. Funeral services will be at 1:30 PM Thursday, July 10, at First United Methodist Church in Mitchell. Burial will be at Servicemen’s Memorial Cemetery in Mitchell. Arrangements by Bittner Funeral Chapel.

A live stream of Maxine's funeral service can be viewed at: https://vimeo.com/event/4136572

Maxine Lavonne Baker was born to Anna and Clarence (Ritter) Holforty on June 15, 1924, in Huron, SD. She attended Country School until she entered Huron High School, where she graduated from. She went to Radio School in Aberdeen, SD, where she learned to assemble a radio from scratch.

On December 21, 1942, Maxine married Leonard (Bud) Baker. Leonard joined the army, and they moved to the West Coast, where Maxine was employed in an airplane factory while Leonard was in training. He was deployed to the South Pacific, and while there, their daughter Janice Lynn was born in 1944. Maxine moved back to Huron, where she lived with her parents until Leonard returned from service. They welcomed Steven Craig in 1949. They lived in Huron, Iroquois, Woonsocket, Webster, Chamberlain, and Mitchell. Maxine worked at Fairmont Ice Cream in Huron, was an active member of the First United Methodist Church, and volunteered at the Shrine Circus. She enjoyed getting together with friends and going to McDonald's in the afternoons, playing cards and games with family and friends, and driving her fancy cream-colored Cadillac.

Maxine is survived by daughter, Janice Lynn Armin; son, Steven Craig Baker (wife June); five grandchildren, Scott Sehr (wife Tiffany), Sharene Sehr (fiancé Eric Lastition), Brad Baker (wife Tricia), Ashley Baker (Ryan Gililand), and Crystal Babyar (husband Joey); and eight great-grandchildren, Justin, Shayla, Eli, William, Avin, Caden, Jaxon, and Livy.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Leonard (Bud) Baker; four sisters, Alice Halbur, Belle Mueller, Ruth Carlson, and Esther Waldron; one brother, Clarence (Junior) Holforty; one granddaughter, Michele Sehr; and Maxine's parents.

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