Wilbur E. Baker

      Wilbur Edward Baker, 88, of Burlington, died at 6:54 PM, Sunday, January 8, 2006, at the Burlington Care Center.

      Born on January 28, 1917, in Mt. Union, IA he was the son of John and Maude Pauline Johnson Baker. He married Ida Mae Hendrickson on June 21, 1966, in Las Vegas, NV. She died May 28, 1973. He then married Delores Moss on November 5, 1979, in Las Vegas, NV.

      Mr. Baker farmed for 5 years and then worked at the Mt. Union Coop Elevator for 29 years. He retired in 1979.

      He was a 1935 graduate of Pleasant Lawn High School. At the start of World War II, he was the first man in Henry County to be drafted. Wilbur served in the First Infantry Division. On November 8, 1942, he invaded Africa. In 1943, he invaded Sicily. On June 6, 1944, he went to France where he was part of the Omaha Beach invasion and later fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Wilbur was awarded the Bronze and Silver Star while in World War II.