Neighbors plant ‘memory tree’ in honor of late port commissioner Nancy Baker

LINCOLN — When new homeowners Ray Jackson and Rose Jackson purchased a home in the Lincoln neighborhood, they learned that the house previously belonged to longtime Port of Vancouver Commissioner Nancy Baker, who died Aug. 30. The Jacksons reached out to the Friends of Trees, a Portland-based nonprofit organization that specializes in urban tree canopy restoration, to plant a “memory tree” in honor of Baker on Feb. 8. Attendees included Jack Burkman, current Port of Vancouver commissioner; Jim Mains, chairman of the Vancouver Farmers Market Foundation; and others from the Port of Vancouver and neighborhood. According to attendee Nancy Shultz, Burkman offered a tribute, while Ray Jackson spoke about Baker’s service to the port and city of Vancouver and his hope to leave the house “better than he found it.” Said Schultz: “It was a lovely experience.”