Mary Ann Baker of Titusville, FL. passed away peacefully on Tuesday, February 9, 2021 at St. Francis Reflections Lifestage Care in Titusville, with her husband, Jamie, at her side. Mary was fifty-three years old.
Mary was born on March 3, 1967 in Waukegan, IL. She grew up in Lakeland, FL. She loved to dance and was on the dance teams in junior high school and in high school. She graduated from Florida State University with a degree in Criminology.
After graduation, Mary worked for the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation in Miami, FL. She relocated to Winter Haven, FL. where she continued working for the Department. She and Jamie were married in Winter Haven. They moved to Titusville where she continued working in business and government. She worked for the Technological Research and Development Authority (TRDA) and for the last twelve years she worked with Secor Strategies, LLC. Mary was a people person and loved to interact with others. She loved life and encouraged everyone to laugh and be happy. At Secor Strategies, she directed a state wide minority business program and she participated in building national NASA Education programs from the ground up. She was an event coordinator and participated in many major events, including The Rollover of the Space Shuttle Atlantis. Mary was a certified Grant Writer with the American Grant Writers’ Association. She wrote many grant proposals which resulted in millions of dollars going to important causes.
Mary was a cat lover. She had three cats and was a strong supporter of the SPCA. Over the years, Mary had adopted several cats from the SPCA.
Mary is survived by Jamie, her husband of twenty-six years, by her mother, Karen Meyer and her husband, Craig, of Palm Coast, FL. and by her father, Larry Akeson and his wife, Joyce, of Winter Haven, FL. Mary is also survived by her three sisters, Melissa Akeson and Michele Brittle both of Tallahassee, FL. and by Stacy Howard of Cartersville, GA.