Baker City, Baker County, Oregon
David Patrick Baxter, 80, of Portland, a devoted and loving husband, father and grandfather, died Dec. 12, 2004, surrounded by his family. David died of esophageal and lung cancer.
David was born March 17, 1924, in Sterling, Ill., to the Rev. Thomas and Eliza Baxter.
After his mother’s death in 1932, his father married Myra. They lived in Elgin, Ill., then moved to Austin, Minn.
His family later moved to Baker City, where his father was a minister at St. Stephens Episcopal Church. David was a standout football and basketball player at Baker High School.
After graduating in 1942, he attended Oregon State College, where he was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II and served on the aircraft carrier Fanshaw Bay in the South Pacific. After the war ended, he tried to maintain order on trains ferrying soldiers and sailors home as a member of the Shore Patrol.
Upon his return to Oregon, David graduated from the University of Portland. He worked for GMAC in Portland as credit manager and sales manager for 32 years.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Margaret; their children and spouses, Robert and Teresa, Donald and Jan, and Carolynn and Blair Campbell; six grandchildren; and a half sister, Dorothy Walrath of Reno, Nev.
David was preceded in death by his siblings, Harris and Janet.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, January 7, 2005
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor