Marjory Baker, an avid Orland Grassland volunteer by all accounts, was known for her passion for the outdoors, outgoing personality and talent for writing poems.
Baker, known as Marnie, died March 14 from pneumonia. She was 72.
Gerry Murphy, her husband, said he’ll miss Baker’s outgoing and spontaneous personality.
“She was always looking for the next challenge, and I really admired that about her,” Murphy said. “She could just connect with people in a way that I never could.”
Baker was born in Tenafly, New Jersey, but grew up in Chatsworth California, Murphy said. After graduating from high school, Baker started a career in marketing and sales promotion, he said.
She moved to Chicago for work, Murphy said, and worked for Leo Burnett Worldwide in advertising. Her biggest claim to fame was that she helped create the McDonald’s Monopoly game.
In Chicago, Baker decided to take an acting class, where the pair met. They started a theater company together, where Murphy acted and Baker was producer and manager.
The pair moved to Orland Park 18 years ago, Murphy said. They married last October, Murphy said, and March 21, the day of her funeral service, was their five-month wedding anniversary.
Their home was about 1 mile from the Orland Grassland, Murphy said. Baker was a volunteer there and ultimately an Illinois master naturalist and an Orland Grassland site steward, he said.
Pat Hayes, another volunteer site steward, said she’ll always remember how eager Baker was. Baker was with the Orland Grassland volunteer group for about 15 years, Hayes said.
“She is a student of nature and she was trying to learn every aspect of it. She just dove right in,” Hayes said.
Over the years, Baker led interpretive nature walks, bird walks, frog monitoring and various community outreach programs, Hayes said.
“She enjoyed talking to people. She enjoyed teaching people, showing us off,” Hayes said. “Marnie loved us, and we loved her. This is like losing a family member, a sister. There’s going to be a void with her gone.”
Kristin DaPra, manager of volunteer resources for Cook County Forest Preserves, said Baker developed rapid field guides for flowers, plants and birds of Orland Grassland. Baker was also a poet and wrote haikus for the monthly Orland Grassland Volunteers newsletter, DaPra said.
“She was really great at building community, so helping to organize people to get them to care for the land,” DaPra said.
Baker was known for stopping to talk to people walking the grassland and encouraging them to volunteer.
“She just had a very generous nature,” DaPra said. “I’ve met people that said, ‘Yeah, I got involved because Marnie stopped me on the trail and told me about this. She just hooked me with the way she could sell and advocate for nature.’”
DaPra said she’ll miss working with Baker, as well as her enthusiasm and personality.
“She was five gold stars,” DaPra said. “She was Marnie. She was so many things. We’re going to miss every part of her.”
akukulka@chicagotribune.com
