Joan M. Baker, 77, passed away on Saturday, November 23, 2024, in Little Rock, AR. She was born on December 15, 1946, in Reed City, Michigan to the late Matthew Mattzela and Kathryn (Keiling) Mattzela. Joan enjoyed going to casinos, playing bingo, and watching the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team play. Joan was a loving mother, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother who will be greatly missed by all those who loved her.
Joan is survived by her step-son, Johnny Ray Baker (Charlotte); step-daughter, Mary Downen; brothers, Leonard Mattzela, James Mattzela, Peter Mattzela, and Gordon Mattzela; sisters, Patricia Atwater, Katherine Mattzela, Barbara Larson, and Theresa Mattzela; five grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandchild. She is preceded in death by her parents; husband, Kenneth Baker; brothers, Joe Mattzela, Robert Mattzela, and Paul Mattzela; sisters, Agnes Marek and Rose Mary Kietzman; step-son, Richard Allen Baker; and step son in law, Charles Michael Downen.
