Family, Friends, Knights Honor Slain Officer

NORTH WILDWOOD — N.J. Corrections Officer Fred Baker was remembered as a caring, outgoing man by his fellow knights Aug. 4 in a ceremony that marked the 10th anniversary of his passing.
The tribute was held outside of Knights of Columbus Our Lady of The Rosary Council 2572 headquarters near a north-side mural that honors the slain member.
Baker, 35, badge number L-425 was slain in the line of duty July 30, 1997 after a decade of service. An inmate who wielded a sharp-edged weapon at Bayside State Prison in Leesburg as he was working alone in a cellblock area when he asked an inmate to move his belongings to another cellblock took his life.
The inmate, who had been serving a 10-to-20-year sentence for aggravated assault, was convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole.
In the wake of Baker’s murder, the governor immediately put in an order for knife-resistant vests for every New Jersey Department of Corrections officer.
Kelly O’Brien-Baker, his widow, daughter Dara Baker, 11, and son, Jason attended as did Baker’s parents.
Baker’s son, Jason, is preparing to graduate from the N.J. State Police Academy in Sea Girt on Aug. 24, according to Nick Herman, a close friend.
“He was my best friend,” said Herman of Baker.
Herman said it was a great tribute to Baker that his son was following his example. Herman played “Amazing Grace,” on the bagpipe at the Aug. 4 ceremony along with Tom Palmer, both of the Irish Pipe Brigade.
Tracy Kita of Wildwood Crest, whose husband is a Wildwood Crest police officer, also a good friend of the Bakers, read a portion of Scripture at the brief, outdoor ceremony.
Deacon Joe Pierce of St Ann Church, Wildwood read from the Gospel of St. John as part of the service.
Standing in the background was a tribute were members of the Cape Classics Motorcycle Club, of which Baker was a member.
“Fred Baker was truly an asset. We need more people like him,” said Mayor William Henfey, as he remarked on Baker’s generous, outgoing nature, and always ready to help someone. Those character traits are not widely found in many people at the present, said Henfey.