Dick Baker never left the house without five pennies he carried in his pocket.

The first he had since the day he married his wife Una. Two were added after his teenage boys, Ryan and Jack, were born. And there were two for his dogs, Tucker and Guinness.

Each penny was from the years his loved ones were born.

Those pennies were thrown into the ocean on Sunday afternoon, in the middle of a circle formed by hundreds sitting on their surfboards, during a traditional Hawaiian paddle out honoring Baker.

Baker, president of the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association, died mid-April after a two year battle with cancer. He was 62.

“He touched so many lives,” said Una. “So many people here, they want to hold on to that.”

Una – who would have celebrated 20 years married to Baker June 10 – said he was a strong-willed man with a great sense of humor who made friends wherever he went.

“Even someone he didn’t know, he knew how to make them comfortable,” she said. “He never judged a person, and he got to know their beauty, their strength.”

Friend John Warner said the gathering was a fitting tribute. Despite the fact that Baker didn’t surf, “he earned this honor and respect from the surfing world he loved so dearly.”

Before the paddle out, friends gathered in the park area to share stories of Baker, many drawing laughs – and tears – from the crowd.

Those who showed up at the memorial ranged from surfing industry top business leaders such as Bob McKnight, CEO of Quiksilver, Bob Hurley, founder of Hurley, and Paul Naude, CEO of Billabong - to young entrepreneurs just starting out.

“He always made us feel as if we were just as important as any CEO of any major company,” said Dylan Odbert, who gained guidance from Baker as he and his brother Dustin launched Ambsn Clothing.

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