Francis L. Baker

Francis L. Baker, age 93, passed into his heavenly home on Thursday, November 5, 2026, in Marysville, Kansas, surrounded by the love of family and the lasting fruit of a lifetime spent in faithful service to the Lord.

A visitation will be held on November 20, at Kinsley Mortuary, from 4 to 8 p.m.  The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m.

A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m., November 21, at the Marysville Berean Church in Marysville. 

Graveside services will follow at 2 p.m. at Highland Cemetery, Junction City, Kansas. 

Francis was born May 19, 1933, in Junction City, Kansas, and grew up in and around the Junction City area. After graduating from Junction City High School, he worked for a time at Fort Riley before attending Manhattan Bible College. There he met his wife, Lindola, and earned his ministry degree in 1960—the beginning of a calling that would shape the rest of his life.

For the next forty-five years he served as a minister in churches across the Midwest and Southwest, including congregations in Agra and Kensington, Kansas; Eunice, New Mexico; and Imperial, Lamar, Enders, and Champion, Nebraska. Alongside his ministry he worked a number of other jobs, among them driving harvest trucks, cement trucks, and school buses for the Chase County, Nebraska, school district. Through every season he remained a steady, gentle presence—someone who loved the Lord, loved people, and simply showed up to serve.

He found joy in bowling, reading, photography, attending sporting events at Kansas State University, and especially in spending time with his loved ones at family gatherings. Those who knew him remember a man of quiet faith and warm heart, who carried the gospel in both word and everyday kindness.

Francis lived with the sure hope of the resurrection. His long years of ministry were not merely a career but a calling—preaching the Word, caring for the flock, and pointing others toward the Savior whom he trusted. Now he has finished the race and rests in the presence of the Lord he served so faithfully. We grieve his absence, yet we rejoice that he is home.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Maurice and Wilma (Insley) Baker; brothers, Maurice Jr., Gerald, Gilbert, and William; sister, Sharon Wright; and his former wife, Lindola Merriman. 

Survivors include his daughter Melissa, of Marysville, KS; brother, Paul, of Kingman, KS; sister, Sandra Barnes, of Keats, KS; and numerous nieces and nephews who will carry forward the love he shared so freely.

A memorial fund has been established to Cattails Society Feline Rescue in Manhattan, KS and A Safe Place, Inc., Marshall Co. KS.  Contributions may be sent in care of Kinsley Mortuary, P.O. Box 147, Marysville, KS 66508.