Clara Belle Hunziker Baker, formerly of Montverde, Florida,  passed away February 1, 2017 at the age of 95.  She died peacefully after a short struggle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and a stroke.

Clara was born December 3, 1921 to Lydia Suman Hunziker and John William Hunziker at their Montverde home.  She was their second child and the first to be born in Florida. Her education included attending Montverde Academy, Clermont High School, and nursing school. During World War II, she worked as a secretary in Washington, D.C.  Afterwards, Clara was employed as a nurse at Florida Hospital in Orlando, Florida.  She had a particular aptitude for treating burn victims and giving massages.

On October 15, 1943, Clara married Harold Lafayette Baker at the Montverde Methodist Church.  After the war, they settled briefly in Orlando, where their daughter Carolyn Frances Baker Lewis was born on October 12, 1946.  Harold rejoined the U.S. Army, and the family began their travels.   They lived in Yokohama, Japan; Augusta, Georgia; Fort Richardson, Alaska; Fort Belvoir, Virginia; Fort Knox, Kentucky; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; and Columbus, Georgia.  Harold=s last assignment, following his second tour in Vietnam, was Valley Forge General Hospital in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, where he served as Post Command Sergeant Major.  Clara, therefore, was a prominent figure in post society and involved in numerous functions.  They made many friends in and out of the military.

In 1974, they retired and moved to Clara's family property in Montverde.  She was active in the Lake County Homemakers Club and a member of the Montverde First Baptist Church.

Clara is survived by her daughter Carolyn B. Lewis, son-in-law Kenneth E. Lewis, youngest brother J. Harold Hunziker (Patricia), sister-in-law Judith Hunziker (Ruppert), and many nieces and nephews and their families.  She was preceded in death by her parents Lydia and John Hunziker, her husband Harold L. Baker, her oldest brother Karl Hunziker and his wife Terry, her middle brother, Ruppert Hunziker, and her sister Helen Hunziker.