Sept. 30, 1935 – July 3, 2019

HOLLY SPRINGS— Gloria Anne Sayers Baker, 83, died Wednesday, July 3, 2019.
She was born Sept. 30, 1935, in Detroit, the daughter of Ralph J. Sayers and Irene Perkins Sayers.
Arrangements are under the direction of Holly Springs Funeral Home.
At a very young age, her family traveled to the south, eventually settling in Natchez.
She enrolled at Principia School in St. Louis, Mo., in her late teens and graduated in 1953. She went on to further her education at the University of Mississippi, earning a bachelor of science in physical education, a master of education and a specialist certification in special education. While an undergraduate at Ole Miss, she joined Kappa Delta Sorority.
Mrs. Baker’s work as an educator spanned for more than 40 years. She began her career in a one-room schoolhouse in Philadelphia, Miss., and later taught elementary school in the Marshall County School System. After completing additional education, Baker served as special education director for Marshall County Schools, elementary principal at Marshall Academy and complete her career as a homebound and special needs instructor for Benton County schools.
She was an active member of the Holly Springs First Baptist Church, serving on a number of committees and boards. After moving to Batesville, in recent years, she began worshipping at Batesville First United Methodist Church, where she was a member of the Trinity Sunday School Class. She was an avid reader and always enjoyed genealogical research.
Baker was preceded in death by her husband of 49 years, Victor Lamar Baker Sr.; one son, Victor Lamar Baker Jr.; and an infant daughter, Janis Louise Baker.
Survivors include two daughters, Joyce Baker Phillips of Holly Springs and Lane Baker Westfaul of Sardis; one son, Duncan Baker of Holly Springs; one brother, Jeff Sayers of Austin, Texas; four grandchildren, Michelle Wells Hutchens, Duncan Lamar Baker, Elane Sayers Westfaul and Jayne Cathryn Westfaul; and two great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Holly Springs First United Methodist Church, Batesville First United Methodist Church or the American Lung Association.