I was lucky enough to meet the sweet hardworking Baker family through Permies.com. The family moved to my little state and Katie Baker has brought her six kids to my little farm and helped us with building a hugelkultur project and apple cider pressing. She homeschools the children and has planted the beginnings of a forest garden. They are frugal and live a simple life, which shows in the generous, helpful and industrious nature of their children.

Matthew has spent many years in school studying to be ordained in the Greek Orthodox church. His scholarship has been well respected and he has gained an excellent reputation and helped many people already. His family has sacrificed and gone without for years, last year he was ordained and finally this year he was given a position at a church of his own and the family settled into their new home.


It is with a heavy heart that I report that this past Sunday the weather was snowy and the roads were slippery. Matthew Baker was driving home with the six kids in the car and lost control of the vehicle. He was thrown from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. The children were brought to the hospital with minor injuries and are all ok.



Katie has a long hard road ahead. I am so glad that they have done such an excellent job raising the children, who are ages twelve down to two. I can see that Isaac, the oldest, will be mature and "the man of the house" well, even though he is still quite young. A crowdfunding effort has been set up here and I hope you will consider helping. Two million dollars would not be too much when considering a college fund for six kids in today's world, never mind all that they will need until then.

I encourage you to read this article about Father Matthew and also this one.

And I also encourage you to hold your loved ones close. Life is brief and surprising.

Thank you so much for posting this.
May his memory be eternal.

Matu, so sad to hear of this. Do they still stay with you?

That is so sad it has ended this way. I will keep them in my prayers.

Miles Flansburg wrote:Matu, so sad to hear of this. Do they still stay with you?

They have only come to visit and help, they never lived here. In such a sad time it is hard when there isn't much to do that can help but I am happy to think of getting those kids playing in the mud this spring. Where they live it's nice suburbia where they have to keep things looking proper, at my farm it's more... free. We have lots of child territory here, it's one of our main crops.

Here's an article that discusses Father Matthew's scholarship and achievements

It is a fond wish of mine that the family will be able to find a small acreage odd their own where they can work and play and plant the permaculture gardens and food forest of Katie's dreams. I know they would tend it well.

Tributes continue to pour in. The funeral was Saturday.


Most of the attention in the many articles and remembrances focus on Father Matthew and his work but this article titled "On Lightning Rods" gives a peek into the brave life that his wife has led. Nursing babies in the church! Scandalous indeed, but she spoke up for her right to do so.

Because it is now reported in many places I will add that the reason she was not in the car that night was because she was still physically recovering from the stillbirth of their seventh child two weeks before.