Richard Baker was a very successful Marketing Director for AMD and was widely respected in the world of IT when, in January 2010, he was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour and his life and that of his family, (Nicky his wife and children Tom and Phoebe), was changed forever. Following the diagnosis, the love and support of his family and many, many friends helped him to continue to enjoy life until the last. His first priority was always family and friends and he spent as much time as he could with them, enjoying dance, theatre, music, comedy, good food, holidays, red wine and real ale. His 50th birthday party in February was a joyful occasion attended by over 100. Despite increasing disability he enjoyed daily walks on the seafront in Brighton, where he lived, with a stick, and then in a wheelchair. Richard died on 29th May this year, aged 50 – less than 18 months after his diagnosis.
His boss at AMD said that if the measure of a successful life is the number of people you touched positively, the friendships you formed and the people you loved then Richard had a very successful life.