Vernon Donnell Baker was born May 14, 1970, to John Lee and Shirley J. Baker.
He accepted Christ as his personal Savior at the age of eight years old at the St. Mark M. B. Church. He later joined the Springhill M. B. Church. He was affiliated with the Greater Northside M. B. Church and many other churches in the Jackson area.
He became an ordained minister in 1989 under the leadership of Reverend A. B. Brown.
His education included: West Side Jr. High, Oak Forest, Timberlawn, Siwell Jr. High and Forest Hill High School.
He joined the ROTC as a ninth grade student and continued at Forest Hill High School and served as Platoon Commander for two years for the Jackson Public Schools. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Forest Hill High School. He was a member of the Westside Civic Club and the American Legion.
He joined the U.S. Army in 1989 and attended the School of Ministers in Washington D.c.
He departed this life Tuesday, September 7, 1993.
He leaves to cherish his memories a devoted mother, Mrs. Shirley Wilkerson and step-father, Mr. Lucious Wilkerson; one brother, John L. Baker, Jr.; grandparents, Annie Mae and J.W. Johnson; a host of aunts, uncles, nephews, cousins and friends.
Kevin Cooley
Vernon aka: the Preacher! I'll never forget he & I doing a 3 day evangelistic outreach together in Westside our senior year. 50 young people dedicated their lives to Christ by the time we were done & Vernon began home bible study as a result. He had a way influencing people & had an obvious call of God on his life. I wish he was still here, but we will see him again... Kevin CooleyEyvette Johnson (Smith)
What a great cousin to have. He was serious about his ministry and winning souls. As kids we thought it was funny how he used to preach to us. I miss him too.Bill Lott
Vernon,Man I really miss him as he and I became friends when we were in Junior High at Siwell. I had a class with him my sophomore year but after that just lost touch with him and after graduating really lost touch. It's a shame to lose a life that had so much promise.
Wanda Moore
What can I say a great friend gone. I was under his leadership in JROTC.So do I need to say more for those of you who was in there with us.Joel Thornton
The most prevalent memory that I have of Vernon, (other than being ordained at 17) is that he liked cokes but HAD to drink them flat. Every afternoon during ROTC we would go to Sing and every time he would shake that drink up and let off the pressure several time to get the carbonation out.I have to believe thee Lord used his death to wake up some of the people that he was witnessing to. If his death saved one soul, Vernon would have told you it was worth it.
Tony Pope
I only knew Vernon for a short time in Biology under Mr. Jet Davis...I know most people remember him! Vernon was a great guy with probably THE BEST sense of humor in the world. We all knew about him being a minister, but he still appreciated and laughed at our vulger and distasteful jokes. I look back now and realize how disrespectful it was to share filthy jokes with him, but to be honest...he was always wanting to hear them. He laughed every time and wanted to hear more. He was a blast to be around. I even ran into him like 90 or 91 at a bar in South Jackson "This Is It". He was only there to visit with his old buddies from The Hill...us...R.I.P. Vernon, you'll always be missed...
TPope