Michael J. Baker

With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Michael Baker, age 50, on the late summer day of August 27, 2025.

Michael took great pride in his family and Southern Ute heritage. In Southern Ute folklore, there is a trickster god known as Coyote, whose curiosity is the origin of humanity. He represents boldness, curiosity, playfulness, and adaptability in the face of hardship. While it is difficult to summarize a life, those who knew Michael best would agree he had the spirit of Coyote in overwhelming abundance.

As a lifelong student of the world, Michael’s curiosity spanned the outdoors, science, mechanics, and Native American culture. However, his greatest accomplishments are best measured by how he spent meaningful time with others. As a father, he instilled within his children that love transcends all hardship. He showed them that laughter can be found even in the darkest of places, and that he would always be in their corner. As a brother, he was an elder, a prankster, an adventure seeker, and a bellwether. As a friend and beloved, he was a lovable misfit, a joker, a lionhearted companion, and a source of unbridled fun.

Michael was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on June 02, 1975. He was preceded in death by his mother Katherine M. Neely (2011), and his father, David James Baker (2003). He is survived by his children, Donovan and Aurelia; his brother Brian; and his sisters, Sarah and Viah.

We come together September 11, 2025 to lay to rest a father, brother, and a friend at 10:00 a.m. at the Southern Ute Indian Tribe Memorial Chapel in Ignacio, Colorado. A graveside service will follow at the Ouray Memorial Cemetery, close to his father David.