Karen Louise Murdock Baker was born January 14th, 1939 in Casper, Wyoming, to Frank H. and Cathryn Louise Malin Grasteit.
Karen loved family, children, friends, performing as a vocal soloist, piano and choir conducting. She was a vibrant member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and offered her talents in that regard, and so many other gifts, to church and community from the time she was a child, first singing duets with big sister Carol.
Her formative years saw her grow up in Napa, California. She would know the rugged shores of the California Coast, Carmel, and trips to Lake Tahoe where her German immigrant grandparents lived in a lakeside home, they had built themselves. Shortly after beginning college at Brigham Young University in Provo Utah, she married Paul Bingham Murdock, also of Napa, on June 16th, 1958, in the historic Salt Lake City Utah Temple.
Together, they had seven children and raised six beginning in the Bay Area, Southern California and Fallon, Nevada. Karen lost her second son, Todd Bingham, in the first few months of his infancy. He was born July 21st, 1960. She would speak of her baby boy longingly, all throughout her life.
As a devoted mother, Karen brought along and engaged her family to countless special events, performances and church activities for decades – enough personal experiences to write a few books about. She taught piano and voice lessons, was a frequent and celebrated soprano soloist, served as a church chorister, conducted select members of the famed Tabernacle Choir in Utah, helped produce youth dance festivals in Northern Nevada and directed the choir during a dedicatory session of the Reno, Nevada Temple, just to name a fractional few.
Karen’s near-to-the-heart specialty was Christmas anywhere…and at home…and caroling. Even though she had a career as an executive secretary at Churchill County Medical Center in Fallon and earlier in commercial banking in California, her life’s work (after motherhood) was built around music and the performing arts. She even briefly worked as an assistant to a friend and composer, Lex de Azevedo, who himself was the musical director for the Sonny & Cher Show, the Jackson 5 and the Osmonds.
After the passing of her husband Paul in 2007, she met and married Jerald “Jerry” Baker of Great Falls, Montana. Together, they traveled extensively in the western states to visit their combined group of grown children, grand-kids and great grandkids. They served together as missionaries in New York state and spent devoted time together as ordinance workers in the Reno Temple.
More recently, they also lived seasonally at a second home that Jerry found for the two of them in Bear River City, Utah.
Like all mothers with an enormous capacity to love, Karen’s overwhelming focus was on the relationships she had together with Jerry and their grown children and grandchildren…and anyone else in need of her big heart, warm embrace and welcoming smile. Karen is survived by her brother Neal, sister Carol Green, their families and the family of her deceased brother Bryan.
Surviving are her children David, Shawn, Kevin, Leslie Ramelli, Dana Barton, Stephanie Gibson and all their children and grandchildren. Also included are Jerry’s sons and daughters Wendy McClain, Scott, Marcie Hamling, Stacie Skawinski, Darren, Brandon, Ryan, Courtney George and their children and grandchildren.
Karen’s final hours arrived suddenly in Fallon. She was surrounded by family members. She passed away Sunday after sunrise, August 11th, 2024.
Services will be held Saturday, August 17th at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A viewing begins at 9:00 AM with funeral services following at 11:00 AM. The chapel is located at 750 W. Richards Street, Fallon, Nevada.
Flowers can be sent to Smith Family Funeral Home, 505 Rio Vista Drive, Fallon NV 89406.
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