Memorial

Royce T. Baker, 94, of Marion, died on January 22, 2026 in Marion, Iowa.  A visitation will be held on Wednesday, January 28, 2026 from 3 pm to 5 pm at Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home.  Service will be held on Thursday at 11 am at Cedar Memorial Park Chapel of Memories.   A livestream of the funeral service may be accessed on the funeral home website under the obituary for Royce Baker under the video tab starting at 11:00 am on January 29.   Burial: Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery. 

Royce was born at home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Elsie Mae and Floyd T. Baker.  He was the last of three children.  He had two sisters, Arleen Lola and Helen Mae Baker.  When he was eleven years old, he delivered the Gazette newspaper on two different routes.  He and his buddies rode their bicycles all over town and many times bicycled to the Amana’s for lunch.  When he was fourteen, he fibbed about his age and started work at the A&P Grocery store.  The day he turned sixteen, he signed up and served honorably in the Iowa National Guard.  After high school graduation, he worked at Iowa Manufacturing as a welder.  In early 1952, he was drafted into the Army for two years to serve in the Korean Conflict.  He was honorably discharged in August 1953.  He married his high school sweetheart, Nancy Clendening, on June 28, 1952 in Monterey, California.  They were married for 73 years. 

He started working at Stamats Publishing Company as an Apprentice Pressman, became a Journeyman Pressman and eventually was Pressroom Forman.  Royce and Nancy started their family in 1953 and had two girls, Kristin Kay and Holly Jean, and one boy, Curtis Lee Baker.  They did a lot of camping with their canvas tent.  Royce’s wife and kids wanted a sink and potty room, so they got a pickup truck with a big Swinger Camper on it.  They enjoyed traveling to state parks on weekends.  For yearly vacations, they would pack the camper and travel all over the United States.  Eventually we replaced the camper with a houseboat that they docked on the Mississippi River at Guttenberg, Iowa.  They would take the boat out to a sandbar every weekend and were joined by many other friends.  In 1986. They sold the boat and since then have used the car to do our traveling and they would stay with family or in motels. 

Royce loved to repair anything that had broken or stopped working correctly.  Very often he ended up with the item working better than when it had left the factory.  He built their two and a half car garage, some end tables, and cabinets.  He also whittled several items that are displayed on their walls.

He is survived by his loving wife, Nancy; daughters, Kristin (Gary) and Holly (Don); grandchildren, Damon, Michelle, April, Daniel and Jessica; seven great grandchildren; and his sister, Helen.

Royce was preceded in death by his parents; his son, Curtis; and his sister, Arleen.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be directed to the charity of your choice.