Mary Katherine Baker (Wolf) Forret
Katherine Baker (Wolf) Forret passed away on January 17, 2025, at the age of 95. Born March 24, 1929, Kay was the beloved only daughter of Edwin and Lelah Baker. She grew up in the small town of Kerens, West Virginia, and after graduating from Elkins High School at the age of 16, earned her Bachelor’s degree from West Virginia Institute of Technology. After a brief stint in Washington D.C. working for a senator, Kay moved back to Elkins and taught Business Education for four years at Elkins High School. During that time, she earned a Master’s degree at West Virginia University. In 1956 she married James Wolf; they moved to El Paso, Texas, and lived on the army base there. Kay taught elementary school to mostly Spanish-speaking children, although she spoke very little Spanish! The couple eventually settled in Florida and had two daughters, Katherine Elizabeth and Jami Lynn. After working for a time as a secretary, and the only woman in her office, at the Kennedy Space Center, Kay was hired to teach at Chamberlin High School in Tampa and eventually Largo High School in Largo, Florida. She taught high school business classes for 30 years including typing and shorthand. She continued to use her shorthand well into her 80’s! At Largo she also she ran the work-study program, helping countless students take their first steps towards careers in business. She coordinated students with jobs at businesses all over town and was committed to preparing them for their roles. If a student didn’t have an appropriate outfit for an interview, she took them shopping and bought them one. Kay also sponsored the Future Business Leaders of America club and enjoyed taking the kids to national conferences as far away as California. She cared deeply for her students and was genuinely interested in their lives. Students remember her standing in the hall between classes to greet them and snatch a few minutes of conversation before the bell rang. In addition to teaching, Kay enjoyed helping Jim run their three boutique clothing stores in Belleair Bluffs, Florida. She loved going on buying trips to the Merchandise Marts in Chicago and Atlanta to choose the latest fashions for the stores.
Kay was an active member of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Clearwater, Florida, singing in the choir, serving as a deacon, and serving as treasurer of the Presbyterian Women. She liked to keep busy, and after retirement worked part-time at a variety of businesses while continuing to volunteer with the church, delivering Meals on Wheels, working in the RCS (Religious Community Services) Thrift Store, and visiting the home-bound. She met her second husband, Peter Forret, when she was working in a psychiatrist’s office where Peter was the CPA. Pete and Kay were married in 1998 and the two of them bought a cozy home on a lake in Largo. They enjoyed traveling to Pete’s hometown of Kirkcaldy, Scotland as well as a variety of interesting destinations in Europe.
Kay is survived by the family she loved dearly: daughters Kathy Sessions (Rob) and Jami Loree of Oviedo, Florida; and grandchildren Katelyn Eberly (Morgan) of Denver, Colorado; Kristy Joseph (Augustin) of Baltimore, Maryland; Lelah Loree of Sandy, Utah; and Adam Loree of Joplin, Missouri; and great-grandson Elliott Joseph of Baltimore.
