Julie Kay Baker

Julie Kay (Altaffer) Baker, age 36, St. George Ut, passed away after a brief battle with liver cancer at her home 8:30 AM Thursday March 14, 2019. She was born at the Defiance, OH hospital May 5, 1982 the daughter of Warren and Linda (Partee) Altaffer. Julie resided in Sherwood, OH, Fremont, IN, Fort Wayne, IN, and recently moved to Hurricane, UT.  A 2000 graduate of Fremont High School, Fremont, IN, Julie attended classes at IPFW Fort Wayne Campus, majoring in Ecology. She worked as a veterinary assistant for the East State  veterinary Clinic and the Northeast Indiana Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Hospital, both in Fort Wayne, IN and the Zion Veterinary Hospital, Hurricane, UT.  She held a lifelong love for all animals, especially cats and elephants.  Julie’s Hobbies included photography and Yoga. She entered several photography contests and was frequently recognized for her work. She collected Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn memorabilia and enjoyed the music of Tom Petty, Ryan Adams, Jack White and many other rockers.  Julie had the opportunity to attend many concerts by those artists and enjoyed shows at Red Rocks in Denver and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. She loved everything California, and was fortunate enough to visit there many times. Julie had an affection for her girls (cats) Susie and Sonora and her boys (cats) Sebastian and Finley and they survive her.  In addition to her parents, Julie is survived by her older brother Jeffrey Logan Altaffer (Hurricane, UT), Aunts and uncles Brenda (Larry) Hall, Merle A. (Cynthia) Altaffer, Jean (Andy) Vargo, Ann (Brent) Stimpfle, Denise (George) Gebhart and cousins Debbie (Kenny) Miller, Ryan (Danielle)Altaffer, Todd (Linzi) Stimpfle, Wyatt Stimpfle, Hayley Schmidt, Brent Tewksbury and Kyle (Itzel) Tewksbury. She was preceded in death by Elwin and Ruth Partee and also Merle O. and Rosemary Altaffer (grandparents) and Phillip Altaffer (cousin).  Arrangements are made under the direction of The Hughes Mortuary, St George, UT. You may visit their website hughesmortuary.com for further imformation.  Services are private, preferred memorials may be made to The Farm Sanctuary (farmsanctuary.org).

I am standing upon the seashore.
A ship at my side spreads her white
sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean.

She is an object of beauty and strength.
I stand and watch her until at length
she hangs like a speck of white cloud
just where the sea and sky come
to mingle with each other. 

Then, someone at my side says;
"There, she is gone!" 

"Gone where?"
Gone from my sight. That is all.
She is just as large in mast and hull
and spar as she was when she left my side
and she is just as able to bear her
load of living freight to her destined port.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her. 

And just at the moment when someone
at my side says, "There, she is gone!"
There are other eyes watching her coming,
and other voices ready to take up the glad shout;
"Here she comes!"
And that is dying....

-Henry Van Dyke