Robert Milton Baker, 87, of Plymouth, died Thursday at Life Care Center of Plymouth, after a lengthy illness. Mr. Baker was the beloved husband of Marilynn (Kuntzel) Baker of Plymouth. Born in Urichsville, Ohio, the son of the late Eunice (Cotton) Baker and the late Milton Baker, Mr. Baker, who loved to travel during his lifetime, moved to Idaho and then to Delano, Ca., where he graduated high school. He attended community college in California, and then worked as an engineer at Boeing Aircraft. While at Boeing, he worked on the design of the Central Fire Control weapon system for a bomber then under development that he would later use during the Second World War in battle in the skies over Japan. He enlisted in the Army Air Force, serving as the Central Fire Control Engineer on a B-29 Bomber, of the 29th Bomber Group, 20th USAAF, based on Guam. He was awarded the Purple Heart, the Air Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Good Conduct Medal, the American Defense Medal, the Asia-Pacific Campaign Medal, the WWII Victory Medal, and the Distinguished Unit Citation. He was honorably discharged with the rank of Staff Sergeant in 1946. Mr. Baker was an avid baseball fan, enjoyed NASCAR and fishing. He was employed for some 20 years as a real estate agent for the Southland Corp., and prior to that worked as produce inspector for the State of California, where he later put that expertise to use when he purchased and ran a potato farm in Idaho. After managing a large ranch in the Bay Area of California, he opened the first 7-11 Store in Fresno, later managing stores in Bakersfield and Salinas, Ca. He and his wife lived in Hawaii and throughout many states in the mainland United States, and were residents of Plymouth since 2003. He was a lifelong member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and among his hobbies was golf. He once won a corporate golf event with a score of 110, but under the Callaway scoring guidelines he shot a 68, winning by two strokes and was awarded a new golf bag and clubs. He remarked that he could have bested Arnold Palmer that day. In addition to his wife, he leaves a brother, Paul of Hamilton, MT. and three sons, Dan Baker of Oriental, N.C., Robert Baker of Plymouth, and Charles Baker of Indianapolis, Ind. He also leaves three grandchildren, Eric Calvert of Seattle, WA, Shaun Baker of San Francisco, CA., and Jenn Baker of Boston, Ma. Services are private. Donations in his memory may be made to the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans, 17 Court St., Boston, Ma., 02108 or at [email protected].