Tiffany Rose Anne Baker (Ethridge)

Tiffany Rose Anne Baker (Ethridge), 23, passed away on Saturday, December 28, 2024.
She was the wife of Colby Baker, mother of Carter and Chase, daughter of Kimberly Tartini (Derek) and Christopher Ethridge (Jennifer), sister of Blake and Summer, granddaughter of Liza, Rosemarie, Walter, & Wayne.
Especially Loved by Driden, Zach, Michael, Kylie, Erin(Nick), McKayla(David), Savannah(Zach), Amber(Collin), Logan, Hannah, Nate, Auntie(Tommy), Corey,(Alayne), Stacie(John), Syilus, Cameron(Brittany), Caleb(Hope), and many more aunts, uncles, cousins, extended family, and friends loved as family.
She was preceded in death by her son Chase, her grandfather Richard Miller, and step father Adam Ochoa.
She graduated from York High School in 2020 and received a degree in Medical Assisting from ECPI 2022.
Tiffany found her soulmate in Colby Baker and was building the life she always dreamed of with a man who would have caused the world to spin in reverse if he thought it would make her happy. That happiness was extended when she became a mother. Her family remembers her saying as a teenager that she would never have children and the moment she realized she would be a mother brought her the greatest joy that life had to offer. She was a fiercely devoted sister, being nearly as close as a twin to Blake and as protective and loving of Summer as any older sister could be. She brought all the people that loved her together, her relatives, in-laws, and friends alike into one big family.
She was an old soul hippie kid. Always in her tie dye and having a great time, high in the clouds, defying gravity, enjoying life as evidenced by the many videos posted by she and her friends on her Facebook. She was so like her mother in that she had a strong will, held her ground, spoke her mind, and stood up for what and who she believed in no matter what, even when doing so was unpopular. She loved the beach, but not as much as her favorite past time of shopping. She was still trying to go shopping in her last 48 hours here with us. It is a treasured memory that one day Colby called her Dad to tell him that she was so expensive and it was all his fault, but that Colby would happily continue to spoil her. We will remember her love of racing, especially at Langley and her devotion to all of her favorite drivers as well as her anxiety when they raced against each other. Ever since she was a little thing, she was always in competition with someone. Whether it was how fast she could run, drive, or eat and she brought that spirit to the soccer field and track in high school. She loved football and was a long time Giants fan. She had a huge heart for animals, particularly those in need and could frequently be found caring for strays or convincing her friends and family members to take in these animals when she didn’t have room at home. Her favorite animals were Sea Turtles and she was well known for her turtle collection. In the future, the family hopes to arrange a foundation in her honor to support sea turtle rescue efforts. She loved to travel and was always plotting her next adventure, including making it to Hawaii pregnant with Carter and then to Key West in her last weeks of life. She had a tattoo that said “and here you are living despite it all” that we believe she would want everyone to remember, as well as her “60 seconds, why not” tattoo as life is too short so live to the best of your abilities while you can. Lastly, her “Only God Can Judge Me” tattoo in memorial of her step dad Adam.
Service will be held on Sunday, January 5, 2025 at 3:00 PM in Grafton Baptist Church. Everyone is welcomed to come to the graveside and to meet us at Amory Funeral Home by 2:00 PM on Monday in their favorite tie dye attire for the processional to her graveside service at Peninsula Memorial Park at 3:00 PM.

Love. To be loved. For those of you that don’t know me, Im Erin Murray and Tiffany was my best friend. I may not know everyone here today but we are all binded by one thing and that is love. The love we all have for the most beautiful, funny, caring, strong, and carefree Tiffany Ethridge.

I want to thank each and every one of you for coming out today. One of the most comforting feelings for me is seeing the love and support from all the lives Tiffany impacted. We don’t realize how cared for we really are in life until unfortunately something bad happens. However, I think everyone in this room always knew Tiffany had an entire world of people who loved her.

Tiffany and I went from the mountains to the shore together. Figuratively and Literally, and more than just a couple times at that. We were each others adventure buddies. Someway, somehow we would make anything our hearts desired happen. Going to a concert even if it was 3 hours away, snorkeling in Florida, swimming with sea turtles in Hawaii, stuffing our face full of crab legs in obx, enjoying a cruise on a boat even though we, ourselves, never had a boat, finding some nice mary jane no matter what state we were in, the list could go on and on. We always had fun, we were always dancing, and we were always laughing. She is my sister of the soul and there is no other person I would have rather spent all these amazing memories with. We were there for eachother for what seems like every part of life.

One day in the hospital before we went to Key West she said, “I value quality over quantity” and although she said that then under the circumstances, she’s lived her whole life that way. She lived purely in the present and made every second of her life a quality moment, not just for herself but for others too. There was never a dull moment with Tiffany. She was so authentically herself and carefree that she taught others to come out of their shell. I know she did for me. She taught me to be more present, to not worry about the future so much cause it isn’t promised, to spend the money cause it will return, to take that trip, to eat that dessert, to treat yourself and do whatever the hell you want with your life because if you only had 60 seconds then why not.

I understand in a time like this we may all feel angry and that’s okay. We will feel angry, sad, in denial, and also happy, and laugh, and all the circle of emotions that will never stop. But I want to leave with some advice that I’ve learned after years of being lost in the negative emotions of grief.

Never let anything that happens to you turn you bitter. Don’t let the pain of something that was out of your hands turn you cold. Try to remain tender so you can allow love to continue to be brought to you, and just as, so you can reflect love yourself. Feel your pain for all that it is, as your pain is a reminder and a reflection for how deeply your love is. The world is cruel and there will always be tragedy, but we can choose to not let it change us, but instead push us forward, no matter how hard that may be. There is always beauty within the ruins you just have to find it. For Tiffany’s sake, who she was, how she impacted others, what she created, what she has left here, those she brought together, and everything about what made her, her, is and always will be everlastingly beautiful. So let love stay in your heart and carry it with you. Live with it, feel with it, be it. For it is love that will carry us through, no matter the heartache.

To end this with one last quote of hers “and here you are living, despite it all. Accept what is, let go of what was, have faith in what will be”

So live the way Tiffany did. Crazily, Loudly, lovingly, happily, and carefree without any shame. – Erin Murray