Death notices and obituaries for The Sun week of Nov. 6, Elizabeth C. (nee Fink) Baker, 72, of North Boston, died October 30. Elizabeth was the wife of Donald Baker, Sr; mother of Peter (Kathy) and Lee (Laurie) Baker; grandmother of Katelyn, Madison, Jane, Ryan and Connor Baker.
Elizabeth was an English teacher at South Park High School and a private music teacher.
Private services were held at the convenience of the family. There was no prior visitation. Memorials may be made to Hospice Buffalo or Boston Emergency Squad.
Edward F. Bartz, 100, of Orchard Park, died on November 1. Ed was predeceased by his wife Corinne McGrath Bartz; his mother, Josephine Robbins; his brother Roman Bartz and his sister, Adeline O’Hara. Surviving Ed are his children, Melanie (Stephen) Anchukaitis, Edward Bartz, Rosemary (Robert) Sutton; his grandchildren, Kevin (Jess) Anchukaitis, Jeffrey Anchukaitis, Robert (Erin) Sutton, his great-granddaughter Emily Sutton, as well as nieces and nephews.
He was born on Sept. 14, and graduated from East High School, the Chown School of Business, and also attended New York University. He retired from the Buffalo Veterans Administration Medical Center in June 1979, after 40 years of federal service, having begun his career with the Army Corps of Engineers in Massena, N.Y. in 1940 on the original St Lawrence River Seaway Project.
As a World War II veteran with the 164th Infantry Regiment, Americal Division, he served in the South Pacific as a first Sergeant and was awarded two bronze stars. He received his honorable discharge in 1946. Upon returning to civilian life, he was re-employed by the Corps of Engineers in New York City. It was there that he met his wife, Corinne McGrath. They married in 1946, and settled as some of the first residents of Levittown, N.Y. When the United States Air Force was established as a separate unit in September 1947, he transferred to Mitchel Air Force Base on Long Island. In 1954, he transferred to the Sunmount VA Hospital in Tupper Lake, and eventually to the Buffalo VA Hospital in 1956.
He was a past commander and life member of the Hamburg American Legion Post No. 527, as well as a life member of the Hamburg Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 517. He served as president of the Western New York Federal Personnel Association. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus Hamburg Council No. 2220, and the Senior Knights Club. He also served as president for 27 years of the Southtowns Chapter No. 1221 of the National Association of Retired and Active Federal Employees.
As a Roman Catholic parishioner, Ed served as a lector for 29 years for Saints Peter & Paul in Hamburg. Ed was also a member of the Sunshine Club, a group of retirees who met for lunch each Monday.
The letters that Ed and his brother Roman wrote to their mother during World War II are the subjects of a recently published book, “Two Brothers, One War,” by Nancy Fuentes.
