Orval Ralph “Boodge” Baker passed away at his home in the Wigington Community on Sunday, Feb. 26th. Boodge was born on Jan. 23, 1926 to the late Harvey and Effie Baker in Wiggington, Ala. Boodge lived most of his life on a farm in rural Northwest Alabama, where he spent his days on the tractor, working in his shop, or resting on the glider in his carport. He is survived by his son, Dwight Baker (Scotty) of Mississippi and daughter, Debbie Coy of Seattle, Wash. Boodge leaves behind many additional family members, including 4 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren, as well as several nieces and nephews.
Before Boodge moved to the farm, he served in WWII and was injured severely in battle. He received a purple heart and a bronze star and, while he rarely spoke of his time in service, he did share how happy he was to come home after he was injured. He was very humble about his service to our country and although he didn’t talk about it much, when he did, the impact it had on his life was evident. He was a proud veteran and served bravely.
Boodge will be remembered for many things by those who knew him and loved him. There were very few things that he hadn’t worked on around his property and even some he had broken himself and repaired multiple times. Only days before he passed, Boodge was doing exactly what he loved and was driving his tractor around the property clearing brush. Boodge lived a very simple life and believed in hard work. His family learned more from him than he probably realized and for that we are thankful. Boodge loved his country, he loved his land, and he loved his family, and we will cherish the lessons he quietly taught us all.
He requested that there be no service or memorial and the family will have a private graveside service at a later date.
Rest well Boodge, you’ve certainly earned it.
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