BUFFALO, N.Y. — Douglas Baker, the man who founded Mercy Flight, has died. He was 79.
The not-for-profit made the announcement about the founder and president emeritus. Because of the organization he started, thousands of people were able to get compassionate, emergency air medical transport.
Mercy Flight said Baker will be remembered as "courageous" adding "he was simply a good man that brought untold good to thousands upon thousands of people, not just here in Western New York, but across the globe."
Mercy Flight announced Baker's death on Saturday.
"Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers as we grieve the loss of a true pillar of our community," Mercy Flight said in the post.
Baker was the owner/operator of LaSalle Ambulance Service for nearly three decades, according to a Mercy Flight Facebook post. They called him a pioneer in EMS in Western New York that led to him creating Mercy Flight in 1981.