Obituary of Danny L. Baker

Danny L. Baker, age 67 passed away Monday April 15, 2023. Today we celebrate the life of Danny Baker. He was born as the second of eight children to Malcolm and Mildred Baker in McKenzie, Tennessee. As he got older, Danny developed a love for sports, including football, baseball, basketball and boxing, and played on various school teams throughout his youth. While Danny celebrated a successful boxing career by obtaining multiple golden glove awards, basketball would ultimately become his favorite and he shared that love for the game with his children, friends and, now, his grandchildren. Danny was always ready for a game of basketball. After graduating from Bryan Adams High School in Dallas, Texas, Danny decided to join the United States Marine Corps. There he learned valuable skills that would serve him all his life. Respect for the United States and our flag has been shared throughout his family due to his dedication and service to our Country. Soon after his service, Danny met his future wife, Debby, and they were married on November 26, 1979. Their first child, Crystal, was born a year later and their son, Dannie, followed fifteen months after. Danny and Debby then started in the restaurant business. Through hard work and dedication, they eventually owned three Huddle House restaurants and a truck stop called “Danny’s Food & Fuel Plaza”. After years of serving the community, they stepped back and took on rental properties to keep busy but also allow themselves time for family and traveling. After retirement, Danny grew in his service to the Lord by earning a Theology degree and pursuing missionary opportunities with his brother, James Baker, and his church. They traveled to places such as the Philippines and Honduras to preach the gospel. Danny not only provided missionary work in other countries, he sought out ways daily to serve as a local missionary by sharing the good news through preaching at local churches and always praying for those in need. Danny was also blessed with the opportunity to take Debby to visit the Holy Land—Israel. This trip brought the Bible to life by connecting the places with a rich, biblical history and significance to the stories he had read for years. Danny was a dedicated prayer warrior and a good and faithful servant that loved the Lord and found joy in helping others in their faith. Along the way, Danny’s children married and provided him with some of his greatest joys from the Lord—his grandchildren. He was blessed with five grandchildren: Hunter, Gavin, Ava, Raigyn and Dannie III. Along with his grandchildren, Danny was also blessed to have the opportunity to adopt his special niece, Elizabeth “Johnny Joe” Abbott when she was young. Danny loved going on adventures with his family and would always join in the fun whether it was riding the “big rides”, playing games or just hanging out at his house and enjoying treats and riding around in the field. Danny attended as many of his grandchildren’s events as possible and was their biggest fan at every sporting event or performance. There were many, many games of basketball played on his home court. He loved all of his grands well and they all adored their PaPaw. Danny loved his people something fierce and was a great provider. No matter the issue, he would do his best to find the answer or solution and offer to help do whatever necessary to fix the problem. Danny loved home cooking, lemonade and caramel treats. There was not a holiday or an event that we celebrated without a caramel pie on the table for dessert Danny was loved by many and had a life well lived. Now it his turn to rest and be free as a servant that did his job well. Please help us celebrate this faithful servant and thank you for loving Danny. We pray that you know the Lord and have a resting place in Heaven as he does, this was Danny’s wish for all of his friends, neighbors and family. Romans 10: 9-10 Preceded in death by his parents Malcolm ad Mildred Baker; sisters Dana Baker and Darla Baker. Survived by wife Debby Baker; children Crystal (Brian) Travis; son Dannie (Vanessa) Baker, Jr.; grandchildren Dannie Baker III, Hunter, Gavin, Ava, and Raigyn Travis; special niece Elizabeth “Johnny Joe” Abbott; brothers James (Penny) Baker and Mike (Vicky Owens) Baker; sisters Cathy Bryant, Cindy Mettlen, Melinda Haggard, and Lisa Velarde; several nieces and nephews. Visitation with the family will be 11:00am until 1:00pm Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at Murfreesboro Funeral Home with the funeral service at 1:00pm, Rev. Roy Robinson officiating. Interment to follow on the Baker Family Farm.