A World War II veteran and commercial artist, Raymond E. Baker, 88, enjoyed being with people and with pets. “He was great with children and dogs,” said his wife, Betty. An Elk Grove Village resident for 31 years, Mr. Baker died Monday, Dec. 29, in Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village, of complications from a fall. He was born in South Bend, Ind., and grew up in Park Ridge, where he graduated from Maine East High School. He followed his father in pursuing a career as a commercial artist, taking art classes and working at Lettering Incorporated Inc., where he set up print advertisements for newspapers and magazines. During World War II, he was drafted into the Army Air Forces and served about three years as a technical sergeant. He was stationed in Colorado Springs, but on a trip to Denver with a friend, he met Betty, whom he married in 1949. After the war ended, he was sent to Okinawa, Japan, where he spent a year in the military’s mapping department. He returned to his job in Chicago after his discharge, then started his own commercial ad business, Foto Lines Inc. in Chicago, which he ran for about 20 years before retiring. During his retirement, he collected and sold stamps as a hobby, and cared for his 9-year-old dog, a schnauzer named Elliott. “He loved to hold him, talk to him and take him for walks,” his wife said. Other survivors include a brother, Howard. A visitation will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday in Grove Memorial Chapel, 1199 S. Arlington Heights Rd., Elk Grove Village, followed by a funeral service at 4:30 p.m.
