Passed away on November 20, 2005, at her home in Fair Oaks, CA. Teresa Frances Hardesty was born in Sheridan, WY, on Sept. 24, 1917, the sixth of eight children born to Joseph Oscar Hardesty and Dora Frances Merkley. She grew up on the family farm near Twin Falls, ID, and graduated from Twin Falls High School in 1935. On June 27, 1938, Teresa married Thomas Joseph McMahon in a Catholic mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Cathedral in Reno, NV. The couple made their home in Sacramento, CA. Five children were born to this union: Thomas, John, Timothy, Stephen and Christine. The family first became acquainted with Modoc Co. when Tom McMahon, who worked for the State of Calif., Division of Water Resources, was appointed Deputy Water Master for the South Fork of the Pit River on May 7, 1943. Because of this appointment, beginning in 1943, the family spent two springs and summers in Cedarville.Following her divorce from Thomas McMahon in 1948, Teresa began a career as a fashion show commentator and model for Joseph Magnin Department Stores in Sacramento. During this time she attended night classes and was certified as a Red Cross nurses aide so she could volunteer her services in the Sacramento area. In 1949, Teresa renewed her tradition of living in Modoc Co. during the summer months. She camped with her five young children at Deep Creek in Surprise Valley, returning each winter to her home and career in Sacramento. Teresa decided to stay in Surprise Valley following the summer camping trip at Deep Creek in 1951. She felt it was important for her children to have the experience of attending school in a rural setting. A friend offered her the free use of the French Hotel in Cedarville as living quarters for the family. The four oldest children were then enrolled at Surprise Valley Elementary School, and Teresa worked at Surprise Valley Hospital. On Jan. 5, 1952, Teresa married Modoc County District Attorney Paul Baker in a ceremony at the Mapes Hotel in Reno. Soon after the wedding Teresa moved her family to Alturas. Three children were born to this union: Roy Paul, Therese and Eugenia (Gigi). During her marriage to Paul Baker, Teresa devoted herself to the full-time job of raising her eight children. Teresa was proud to have instilled in her children good values, self-sufficiency, common sense and a strong work ethic. Teresa was a fiercely independent woman with an adventurer's spirit. She enjoyed camping, hunting and skiing, and especially fishing and gardening at her cabin at Eagle Lake in Lassen County. Her adventurous spirit is perhaps best exemplified by her enlistment in the U.S. Peace Corps in 1982, at age 64. She served first in Guatemala in Central America and then in Sierra Leone in Africa. However, no matter where Teresa's adventures took her, her eight children were always the most important thing in her life.Teresa is survived by six children and their spouses, Tom and Carol Baker and Dr. Timothy and Susan Baker of Fair Oaks, CA, Stephen and Cheryl Baker of Alturas, Christine Favor of Bend, OR, Therese and Steve May of Murphys, CA, and Gigi and Tom Raymond of Folsom, CA, daughters-in-law Anna Baker of Talent, OR, and Cary Baker of Alturas; 19 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren; and her brother and sister-in-law Paul and Jean Hardesty of Elk Grove, CA. Teresa was preceded in death by two sons, Paul Baker and Superior Court Judge John Baker of Alturas, her parents and six brothers and sisters. Teresa's life will be celebrated at a memorial mass at St. Mel's Catholic Church in Fair Oaks on Nov. 22 at 11:00 AM. Graveside services will follow in a private family ceremony at the Alturas Cemetery.