Ellen M. Baker was born May 25, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois. She attended St. John Bosco elementary school, Immaculata High School, and Northeastern Illinois University. She student-taught and was a teacher at Suder School in Chicago, and taught her first years in Bensenville Illinois as one of the first ESL teachers there. She married Douglas Baker August 26, 1967, in St. John Bosco Church in Chicago by her uncle, Monsignor John Flanagan, and was a lifelong member of St. John the Evangelist Church in Streamwood.
She raised a family, and when her children were in elementary school, became the school librarian at Heritage Elementary in Streamwood. She subbed in District U-46 before teaching at Laurel Hill School until retirement. She earned her Masters in Education from St. Xavier University.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Daniel and Elaine Vondran, her sister Mary (Jim) McElroy and her brother, Daniel Vondran. She is survived by her husband, Douglas Baker, children Mary (Jeff) McSweeney and Martin (Christine Keogh) Baker, grandchildren Cameron and Quincy McSweeney and Jarod, Audrey and Veronica Baker, her sister Anne Jarocki, brothers John (Kathleen) Vondran and Jim (Carolyn) Vondran, and sister-in-law Sue Vondran, and numerous nieces and nephews.
In addition to her family, her interests were sewing (she sewed her own wedding dress) and her doberman, Fritz.
Visitation Monday, June 8,2020 and will be private the Countryside Funeral Home and Crematory 1640 Greenmeadows Blvd. (at Barrington Rd,) Streamwood/Schaumburg.
Funeral Mass will be open to the public(maximum of 50 people with social distancing and all must wear masks) and will begin at 11:00am at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church 502 South Park Blvd., Streamwood, Illinois .
Interment Mt. Hope Cemetery (also open to the public with no maximum)
**Due to current COVID 19 restrictions, a maximum of 50 people will be allowed in the church.
Info (630) 289-8054.