As Vernon Baker’s family flew east for his memorial service at Arlington National Cemetery earlier this week, workers tackled a roster of repair projects at the late World War II hero’s Benewah Valley home, from reroofing to rebuilding the drainage system. With hard labor, luck and more than $22,000 in donations from across the country, they hope to have all of the work finished by the time Baker’s widow, Heidy, her daughter Alexandra Pawlik and her grandson Vernon return on Sunday. That will include installing new skylights, replacing sheet-rock damaged by leaks, the new roof and a new woodshed to hold 10 cords of donated firewood.
