Debra Jane Merrill Baker

May 22, 1957 – April 21, 2026

Debra Jane Merrill Baker, 68, slipped away from the bounds of this earth on April 21, 2026, after a brief but valiant battle with cancer.

After overcoming dyslexia in her youth, Debbie became a zealous reader of everything from newspapers to magazines to novels. Her books were some of her most prized possessions, and she literally owned thousands of them – ranging from biographies of stars and public figures to her "go to" romance novels. It was not unusual for her to read two or three books (or more) in a week. Debbie also was a devoted fan of college football, particularly the LSU Tigers (although she also rooted for the Arkansas Razorbacks, just to keep the peace at home), and she could quote football statistics better than many professional commentators.

She loved her family and her pets, and she loved to travel – whether in real life or through what she read, watched on television, or heard from stories of family and friends. She enjoyed talking about Mardi Gras and collecting trinkets from it, and she rejoiced when she actually got to attend a Mardi Gras bal masque or visit a Mardi Gras museum or tourist attraction.

She also loved a family reunion and was like a kid when the holiday season rolled around. Among her favorite activities later in life were keeping up with family and friends through Facebook and writing/telling stories about family vacations and the folklore passed down through the generations.

Preceded in death by her husband of more than 30 years Claude Allison Baker (September 26, 1960 – January 10, 2026), she was born in Russellville, Arkansas, on May 22, 1957, to Thomas Henry Merrill Jr. (October 22, 1928 – February 18, 1987) and Eva Lee Davis Merrill (Williams). She grew up in Plain Dealing, Louisiana, but spent nearly all of her adult life in Ola, Arkansas, where around 1980 she joined her grandmother, Bell Davis, working in the poultry processing industry for many years. She will be cremated under the direction of Cornwell Funeral Home in Dardanelle, Arkansas, and eventually laid to rest with other family members in the Munnerlyn Chapel Cemetery at Mira, Louisiana. No formal services will be held, but the family asks that you keep her mother Eva Lee Williams and her brother Thomas A. Merrill and brother-in-law Dr. Rick Cain, as well as a host of cousins and other extended family members, in your thoughts.

The family extends its thanks to the exceptional staff of Hospice Home Care of Russellville, Arkansas, for their excellent care, as well as to Dardanelle Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, where she was treated like family since both her husband and her mother-in-law had worked there.

Memorial donations may be made to the hospice service, cancer organization, library, or pet charity of your choice. We encourage you to follow her example of rejoicing in both the small and the immense blessings bestowed upon you, and we celebrate that she is free from earthly pains and reunited with the host of other family members (and beloved pets) who have gone before her!

Arrangements by Cornwell Funeral Home and River Valley Cremations in Dardanelle. Online Guest Book and Condolences at www.cornwellfuneralhomes.com