Friends remember Ogden teacher Cheryl Baker as an ‘artistic, kind, gentle woman’
FILE - In this undated file photo provided by the Canyon County Sheriff's office shows suspect Gerald "Mike" Bullinger, formerly of Ogden, Utah, who is considered a person of interest in the murder of three people discovered Monday, June 19, 2017 at a Caldwell, Idaho home. A nationwide manhunt is under way for Bullinger, whose wife is one of the victims, and he is charged with failing to report the deaths with police saying he is a "person of interest" in the homicide investigation. (Canyon County Sheriff via AP, file)
OGDEN — The thing that’s noteworthy about Cheryl Baker is how she lived and what she did with her life, not how she died.
That’s how former colleague Michelle Tanner summed up the reactions of those close to the retired Ogden teacher, who was identified Friday, June 30, as one of three women discovered shot to death June 19 on a farmhouse property in Canyon County near Caldwell, Idaho.
The other two individuals haven’t yet been identified by official sources, but ranged in age from mid-teens to mid-50s.
The property was purchased by Baker, 56, and her husband, Gerald “Mike” Bullinger, last March. Bullinger, 60, is currently the focus of a nationwide manhunt as a “person of interest” in the case and a felony warrant has been issued for his arrest for failure to report three deaths.
Baker recently retired from teaching art at GreenWood Charter School in Harrisville and moved with her husband, Gerald Michael Bullinger, to the Caldwell residence, the Idaho Statesman reported.
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Tanner is a superintendent at the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, where Baker worked for 32 years teaching children with hearing impairments.
“She impacted many, many students,” Tanner said. “She was especially devoted to her students. She went above and beyond, she gave away school supplies and clothes to kids in need, she was always looking for grants and she got several for her classroom over the years.”
Baker was the president of the school’s teachers association for a few years, Tanner said, and several other faculty told her that they had fond memories of Baker bringing her crocheting to the meetings. They could judge how long the meeting lasted by how many scarves Baker finished, Tanner said.
“She was an avid reader, she loved the outdoors. She was a very creative, artistic, kind, gentle woman,” Tanner said. “For our part, it’s just heartbreaking to see her end this way.”
Nancy Powers, who is also retired from the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind, met Baker when she first came to Utah, just out of college, in 1984. Baker was originally from Michigan.
The two shared classrooms many times over their careers, Powers said. They’d even take their classes on overnight camping trips. “Nowadays, no way can you do that,” she said.
Baker married Bullinger six years ago — her first marriage at 50 years old, Powers said. The couple met when they were seated together on a plane headed to Alaska.
“When she married Mike,” Powers said, “all of us, all our close friends were so struck by how she seemed so content with her life, and happy. We were just so happy for her.”
In some ways, Powers said, she felt like Bullinger and Baker’s union was one of opposites attracting. Bullinger is an avid motorcyclist. Baker participated in a meditation group. Baker hated guns, while Bullinger was a skilled outdoorsman, occasionally serving as a guide, leading tourists to remote places for extended hunting trips.
“When he came home from those trips, he’d get all his guns out to clean them,” Powers said, “and she’d just have to leave the room. She couldn’t stand looking at them.”
Still, the couple enjoyed horses and river trips and camping together, Powers said.
The day before her wedding, Baker brought the dress, which she’d made herself, to Powers because she couldn’t get the hem quite right.
“I got it straight,” Powers said. “We just were good friends and did a lot of things together. When I went through tough times she was there for me, and I like to think I helped her out, too.”
“She was a dear friend and colleague, and it’s sad for us that she didn’t get to enjoy her retirement like we thought she deserved,” Tanner said.