A celebration of life will take place at 1 p.m. Friday in the Valhalla Grand Hall at the Tallac Historic Site for Roderick J. Baker, who passed away Jan. 5, 2007, at his home in South Lake Tahoe.

Rod was born Sept. 11, 1961, in Ann Arbor, Mich., to Margaret and Jerry Baker. He lived at South Lake Tahoe for 22 years, and since 1984 worked for Stanford Sierra Camp on Fallen Leaf Lake. Rod attended Duniway Elementary School, Cleveland High School, and Lewis and Clark University in Portland, Ore., where he earned a self-designed degree in Southeast Asian Studies.

Rod was fluent in Mandarin Chinese and spent nearly two years in mainland China studying the language, teaching English and writing articles on Chinese economic issues. Upon returning to the United States, he joined the staff at Stanford Sierra Camp, where he held many positions, the last being director of plant operations. Rod’s greatest love was being a father to his two beautiful children, Jackson and Kendall, the companionship of his dogs over the years, his friends, and being close to nature. He was a man loved for his generosity, kindness and fantastic sense of humor. He touched the lives of many people and will be greatly missed.

Rod is survived by his son, Jackson; daughter, Kendall; their mother, Laurie; his mother, Margaret; father, Jerry; stepmother, Chris; brothers, Richard, Randy, Russell and Rocky; half-brother, Jay D.; half-sister, Jenny; sister-in-law, Rhonda; and nephews, Russell Jr., Joey, Nate, Seth and J.J. He is also survived by his ever-present four-legged companion, Olie.

McFarlane Mortuary is assisting the family with cremation arrangements. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to a savings account at the Bank of the West for the benefit of Jackson and Kendall Baker.