Joe Warren Baker, 73, of Fayetteville, passed away on Monday, September 7, 2026, at Duke University Hospital, with his family by his side.

Born June 7, 1953, in Louisville, Alabama, Joe was the youngest of four children born to Bennie Frank and Mary Nell Greene Baker. He loved growing up on his parents’ farm, surrounded by extended family, and telling stories about the characters they knew and the hardships they weathered together. He learned to sing and play guitar alongside his mother, and in time, he began turning those stories into songs of his own.

After graduating from Louisville High School, where he lettered each year in football, Joe attended Auburn University and graduated with an associate degree in mechanical drafting from Sparks State Technical College. In 1978, Joe made a home in North Carolina, where he met his wife, Janet, an elementary school teacher.

Joe spent most of his career in flooring, working in many homes across Cumberland County. For 15 years, he managed Carolina Carpet, and later opened his own business, Baker Carpet & Tile. Until this spring, he worked for Systel Business Equipment, where he loved working at the Systel Building in downtown Fayetteville for 11 years.

More than anything, Joe loved being outside—tending his garden, smoking brisket and ribs for friends, sitting by a fire with his family, and watching races or listening to country music on the deck he built by hand. Every year, he grew a few hundred pounds of his famous tomatoes, along with collards, peppers, onions, and squash. Always growing too many vegetables for his family to eat, he loved to share the extra with friends and co-workers.

For 40 years, Joe lived with coronary artery disease and, later, cancer. The Baker family is deeply grateful for the care he received in his final months at Duke University Hospital, particularly from the cardiology and hematologic malignancies teams. During the months Joe spent in the hospital, his dear friends Mike Bright, Blair Seaberg, Stan Futrell, and Chris & Barb Bennett looked after his family and their home—a kindness he was so grateful for.

Joe is survived by his wife of 42 years, Janet Stevens Baker; his daughter, Mary Kathryn (Katie) Baker; his stepson and daughter-in-law, Steven and Julia Terranova; his sister and brother-in-law, Lenora and Johnny Helms; his sisters-in-law, Nancy Baker and Belinda Stevens; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Bennie Frank and Mary Nell Baker; his sister and brother-in-law, Jeannie and Donald Ray Clark; his brother, Ben Baker; and friends he missed dearly, Dan Smith, Jim Moore, and Charlie Lopez.

In celebration of Joe’s life, a memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at Jernigan-Warren Funeral Home in Fayetteville, NC. The family will receive friends starting at 10:00 a.m., with the service to follow at 11:00 a.m. in the chapel.

Funeral arrangements by Jernigan-Warren Funeral Home, 545 Ramsey St. Fayetteville, N.C. 28301

Online condolences may be made at www.jerniganwarren.com