Alice Odell Mink Baker, 88, of the Wappingers Falls, NY, passed away peacefully the evening of April 25, 2025. She was predeceased by her husband of 66 years, Gene, and is survived by her daughter, Amy Nardone (husband Tony), sons, Greg (wife Patti and stepson Corey) and Gene Jr (wife Valorie), granddaughters Peyton and Kellyn, her sister, Jane Walker, and several nieces and nephews.

Alice was born on February 25, 1937, to Travis and Isabelle Mink near Cadillac, Michigan. After graduating from Memphis (MI) High School, where she was a leading scorer on the girls' basketball team, Alice attended Michigan State University where she met Gene and earned her Bachelor of Education degree and began her lifelong career in Special Education at the MSU School for the Blind. Alice and Gene remained avid Spartan fans their entire lives.

After moving to New York following Gene's graduation from MSU, Alice set about altering the perception and acceptance of special needs students through her life's professional mission as a Special Education teacher with BOCES and the Wappingers Central School District, earning her master's degree from SUNY New Paltz along the way. She pioneered the inclusion of thousands, and by now, millions, of special needs students into the state and, subsequently, national public education system. In addition to aiding the cause of her students, Alice helped bring respect and notoriety to Special Education professionals, serving officer roles in organizations including, New York State United Teachers, New York State Teachers of the Mentally Handicapped, the Association for Retarded Children, Wappingers Congress of Teachers, Wappingers Congress of Retired Teachers, and several more, taking the case for her peers and their students directly to the state governmental offices in Albany.

Having risen from modest beginnings to achieve great personal and professional success, Alice served all those around her as an inspiration and guiding light while sharing her blueprint for making a positive difference in individual lives and society in general. She will be dearly missed, but the love, guidance, compassion, and motivation she has provided will survive through the lives of her children, grandchildren and everyone who had the good fortune to have known her.

Alice's family and friends will gather for a small memorial service on Saturday, May 3 from 11:00a to 1:00p at:

McHoul Funeral Home

895 NY Rte 82

Hopewell Junction, NY 12533

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to New York State Special Olympics at: Special Olympics.