Deborah Baker

Deborah “Deb” Marie Baker, age 67 of Milbank, SD, passed away Sunday, March 8, 2026 at St. Williams Care Center in Milbank, after a long journey with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Funeral Services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Friday, March 13, 2026, at Tracy Lutheran Church. Visitation will be 5:00-7:00 p.m. Thursday, March 12, at the Tracy Area Funeral Home, and at 12:00 p.m. Friday at the church before the funeral service. Interment will be in the Walnut Grove Cemetery.

Deborah “Deb” Marie (Hatch) Baker was born September 24, 1958, in Tracy, Minnesota, to Dale and Maureen (Mahlen) Hatch. Deb lived with purpose and generosity, leaving a meaningful imprint on every community she called home. She previously resided in Tracy, MN; Tyler, TX; Linden, TX; Sioux Center, IA; and Sisseton, SD, before moving to Milbank, SD in 2008, when she became Director of Nursing for the local hospital. A hardworking and dedicated nurse, Deb served across many areas of care during her 35-year career, including home health, the operating room, cardiac rehabilitation, hospice, and hospital leadership. She earned her Registered Nursing degree in 1981, and later completed her BS in Nursing with honors at Briar Cliff University, where she also took theatre-related courses.
Deb’s creativity and love of performing were evident early on. In high school, she participated in drama, music, and sports, and she was crowned Miss Tracy Princess during Tracy, Minnesota’s Boxcar Days in 1976. Shortly afterward, she met Brent Baker of Walnut Grove; they were married on December 30, 1978, at Tracy Lutheran Church, where Deb had been confirmed, and they celebrated more than 47 years of marriage.
In her early adult years, Deb loved sewing and crafting and was a rising Mary Kay consultant. In the 1990s, she poured her gifts into the arts and education—directing, acting in, and serving on the board of the Sioux Center Community Theatre —and later coached high school speech and chaperoned several choir and band trips with her kids at Sioux Center High School. She was also at the heart of many church communities, leading Sunday school, youth group, and drama ministries, and helping to publish church cookbooks.
Deb cherished her grandma years, loved being a devoted dog-mom to her “best boy,” Otis, and was most at home when surrounded by the people she loved.

Deb is survived by her husband, Brent Baker of Milbank, SD; her children Amanda (Jason Vande Brake) Baker-Vande Brake of Sioux Center, IA; Carissa (Jeffrey Sakata) Baker of Palatine, IL; and Dan (Crystal) Baker of Rock Valley, IA; and her seven grandchildren, Keaton Brink, Caleb Baker; Max, Lincoln, Beau, and Baker Rasmussen, and Samantha Sakata. She is also survived by her sister Raybecca ‘Becky’ Hatch Fiala of Sioux Falls, SD, and her brother Doug Hatch (Heather Harris) of New Richmond, WI; her nephews Patrick (Kaylie) Fiala, and Hayden Fiala; and her nieces Halle (Jake Betthauser) Hatch Betthauser, and Madeline Hatch; with many extended family members and friends.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Maureen and Dale Hatch of Tracy, MN; and her parents-in-law, Clair and Betty Baker of Walnut Grove, MN.

Stephens Funeral Service – Tracy Area Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.