Emily Ann (Murphy) Baker

Emily Ann (Murphy) Baker

January 29, 1958 – April 6, 2021

Emily Ann Baker, 63, formerly of Sturgeon Bay, WI died suddenly on April 6, 2021 at her home in Milwaukee, WI. She was born in Green Bay, WI to Larry M. Murphy and Martha (Beach) Murphy. She graduated salutatorian from The Judson School in Paradise Valley, Arizona in 1976 and attended the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

Emily moved to Sturgeon Bay, WI in 1977 (m. John Goettelman 1978), where she worked and created for 35 years. She raised two children with musician Ben Larsen (m. 1984) while pursuing numerous projects, passions, and adventures. Emily was a prolific artist and designer—from personalizing children’s clothing to forging sculptures of enormous sturgeons—she shared her creativity far and wide. She brought her unique brand of enthusiasm and design savvy to her years with Gold & Silver Creations and Bliss. In 2012, she moved to Milwaukee, WI with her beloved Richard (m. 2009). She was an active member of the downtown YMCA, proud patron of the Milwaukee Art Museum, and a vibrant light in the Lela Boutique family. Her open kitchen was always teeming with comfort and treats. Emily was a lifelong supporter of social justice and the arts as well as an avid and worldly traveler who celebrated exploration and cultural diversity. She was incredibly proud of her daughter’s international academic exploits and her son’s talent for video production. She is undoubtedly remembered as a conspiring trickster, a voracious reader, a logophile, and an extraordinary mother. Her generosity, fierce loyalty, brilliant wit, and skillful limericks, despite her absence, will endure.

Our hearts and some trouble she’d stir,
Phenomenal woman, that’s her,
.....
.....
........

Emily is deeply missed by her daughter Maren M. Larsen and her son Maxwell M. Larsen; her loving husband Richard A. Baker (USCG Ret) of Milwaukee, WI; her children’s father Benjamin H. Larsen of Sturgeon Bay WI; Richard’s children Andy (Aly) Baker of Noblesville, IN and Ellen (Joel) Smith of Portland, ME; Andy’s children Emerson and Shepard; Emily’s sister Kathy Neuchter of Sturgeon Bay, WI and her brother Donald “Mike” (Kelly) Murphy of Sarasota, FL; two nephews Ryan (Julie) Neuchter of Sturgeon Bay, WI and Jason (Jahnella) Murphy of Bradenton, FL; her grandnephews Brody, August, Beau, and Liam and grandniece Taylor; her spoiled dog Archie; and multitudes of kin, colleagues, friends, and admirers.

A Memorial Service celebrating her exuberant life will be held at 1:00 pm on Saturday, April 17, at the Sturgeon Bay Moravian Church. In lieu of flowers, friends and family are encouraged to make a donation in Emily’s name to their local art school/center.