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Obituary for Lucinda Baker Sawyer
Lucinda Baker Sawyer passed away on June 19, 2016, after a courageous battle with cancer.
She was born on November 3, 1944, in Alton, Illinois, the oldest child of Albert and Olive Brawn.
She grew up in Alton and graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE). She worked as a social worker in East St. Louis, Illinois, and Salinas, California, before returning to SIUE to work as an administrator. During this time she also served as an adjunct instructor at Belleville Area College and Vandalia Correctional Center in Vandalia, Illinois. She earned a master's degree in Educational Psychology from SIUE and later a PhD in Education from the University of Mississippi.
Sawyer met Lee Baker, her first husband, through her friendship with Baker’s mother. They were married on October 3, 1987, in Wood River, Illinois, and she moved to Jackson, where Baker was a longtime sportswriter for the Clarion-Ledger.
Sawyer soon became very active as a volunteer and board member for a number of non-profit organizations in the Jackson area. She served as a board member for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mississippi, the Fondren Neighborhood Association (pre-cursor to the Fondren Renaissance Foundation), and was a founder of the Broadmeadow Neighborhood Association.
After Baker’s death in 2003, Sawyer reconnected with her and Baker’s friend Glenn “Jimmy” Sawyer of Wood River, Illinois. She and Sawyer were married on May 30, 2008 and spent their eight years of marriage in Jackson.
Sawyer was a member of Broadmeadow United Methodist Church and was active on a number of committees. She was a very passionate volunteer for the Privette pre-school program at the church.
In addition to her husband, Sawyer is survived by her two brothers, Alan Brawn of San Diego, California, and Mike Brawn of Columbia, Illinois. She is also survived by seven nieces and nephews, as well as many adults and young people in her neighborhood who she saw as her “adopted” children and grandchildren.
There will be memorial services at Broadmeadow United Methodist Church in Jackson on June 24 at 2 p.m. Internment and a private service for family will be at Woodland Hill Cemetery in East Alton, Illinois,, at a later date. Memorials may be made to the Privette School at Broadmeadow United Methodist Church or Pastoral Care at St. Dominic Hospital.
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