‘Taken so quickly:’ Loved ones remember Boise woman struck by vehicle in fatal tragedy

Korena Baker, 54, loved to take walks. She would head down Vallejo Road, a street lined with farm fields in a quiet corner of Southwest Boise, where she lived for more than 20 years.

She was on one of those walks Sept. 29 when she was struck by a car. A 27-year-old Boise man lost control of his vehicle, crossed into the other lane of Vallejo Road and hit Baker, according to Ada County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Patrick Orr.

Baker was taken to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, where she died last Wednesday from blunt-force injuries.

“It’s just so unbelievable, because she’s such a life force. To have that taken so quickly …” said Baker’s sister, Jackie Atkinson, her voice trailing off. “When she was in the ICU, I was just like: ‘She’s going to pull out of this. You guys have no idea who you’re dealing with. She’s going to pull out of this. My sister is going to live.’ ”

More than 100 people came together Sunday in Nampa to celebrate Baker’s life, including family members who drove 2,800 miles from Alaska to be there.

The large celebration was fitting for someone whose “greatest passion was to bring people together,” whether that was over coffee in the morning or a bonfire at night, according to Atkinson. Loved ones remembered her warmth and affinity for making friends wherever she went.

“She touched everybody’s heart,” sister Tara Devault said. “She knew no stranger. Everybody was a friend to her.”

Friend Mariah Sutton recalled how Baker faced challenges in a “joyful way,” even brushing off giving birth for the first time like it was no big deal. She could operate heavy machinery at the Alaska gold mine where she spent many summers working and helped run two family businesses.

She loved a good joke and never could say no when someone suggested “something crazy,” friend Kim Wilcomb said.

“She had a laugh that was the most infectious thing,” Wilcomb said. “You couldn’t be in a room with her and not love her.”

When Baker was 7, her parents loaded their kids into the bed of a truck, stuck a camper shell over the top and drove like that all the way from Idaho to their new home in Alaska. Living in a remote area with no electricity and no running water, the siblings spent all their time together.

That familial closeness, especially with her mother and sisters, carried into the rest of Baker’s life.

“This couldn’t have happened to a better person,” said her mother, Susan Burns. “It’s just almost impossible to wrap my mind around it still.”

Korena married Doug Baker on the banks of the Kenai River. They went on to have two sons, Clayton and Camren, whom she never stopped talking about.

“I don’t think anyone ever could have loved her two boys as much as she loved them,” Atkinson said. “They were always the first thing that you heard about. And she supported everything that they did, from football games to baseball games to riding motorcycles.”

Boating, skiing and traveling were among Baker’s favorite activities. In the hospital, despite her body being “so broken,” she was able to communicate by nudging her arm as people pointed at letters in the alphabet to spell out words, Atkinson said.

“She kept asking for a beer,” Atkinson said with a laugh.

Before her death, loved ones smuggled a beer into the hospital and used a cotton swab to give Baker one last taste of her favorite drink.

Burns said she hopes Baker’s death will be a reminder for people to slow down and always be careful while driving.

“Let’s all drive like the most precious person on Earth is taking a walk and make sure they get home to their family safe,” her family wrote in her obituary.

Idaho Statesman reporter Alex Brizee contributed.

This story was originally published October 10, 2022 at 10:43 AM.