Born in Afton, Wyoming in 1911, he was raised on a farm south of Etna and graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1940 with a degree in civil engineering.
With very primitive tools, Lloyd performed his first survey in Cokeville, Wyoming, about 75 miles down the road from Etna, the town he settled in when he “came home.” The loop within those few miles took him from coast to coast working as a surveyor.
Wyoming was calling him home, however, and he returned to Etna in 1974. After obtaining his license, he established Lloyd B. Baker and Associates which continues to this day, now with Astech GPS, Traverse PC, and Visual Cadd software. He told me he could find any point he needs to on his 4-wheeler with tracks, under the four feet of snow we usually get during the winters. Lloyd continued working until past the age of 106. He said he didn’t see any reason not to!
Baker loved to dance and especially loved to sing. He entertained at two rest homes in the valley on Sunday evenings. He could still mostly remember fifty songs. One of those, “A Nest, The West, and You, Dear,” he sang for me, which was a delight.
Cheyenne Frontier Days was a highlight for him this past summer. It was the first time he had attended and had the delightful privilege of being photographed with ten beautiful Rodeo Queens!
Lloyd had always been an advocate of taking care of your body. He believed our bodies were meant to last a thousand years and if we give it what it needs for nourishment and don’t give it junk that is not nourishing, we’ll be fine. He relayed to me that he had arthritis once but it was interfering with his work, so he quit drinking milk, starting using real butter instead of margarine (which he feels is plastic) and stopped taking his vitamins. It wasn’t long before he felt fine. Lloyd ate a little meat, had a bit of “sweets” after each meal – always carried Peanut M & M’s in his pocket, consumed no chlorinated or fluoridated water, no bleached flour in anything, and was a believer that proper elimination is a must. He also used no soap.
Lloyd had five children, 17 grandchildren, over 40 great grandchildren, a couple of great, great,-grandchildren.
The last time I saw him I asked, “ What are some of the benefits of being a 107?” He quickly replied, “Everyone treats you better. After 100 you get treated a lot better.”
Lloyd left us on July 9th, 2018. He’s probably already surveying the heavenly clouds!
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