“Buck”, as he liked to be called, 83, passed away at the E. T. York Haven Hospice Care Center in Gainesville FL on Tuesday, February 25, 2020, following a long illness.
Born in Detroit MI to and predeceased by parents Aubrey Baxter and Evelyn Margaret Peek Baxter, he is survived by his fond companion Anita Smart of Gainesville FL, daughter Martha Baxter Schmehl (Duane Hoffer) of Brant MI, son Eugene Emerson “Duffy” Baxter of Austin TX, sister Audrey Evelyn “Sally” Baxter Bradford (Wayne) of Garden City MI, brother Eugene Baxter of Allen Park MI, grandson Hayden Baxter of Fort Collins CO, granddaughter Kathryn Norton (William) of Plano TX, 3 great grandchildren, 11 nieces and nephews, and the last of many beloved cats Pamuk and Franklin.
His career was largely in real estate/builder master of all trades. A skilled craftsman, he could fix anything. His Army service included deployment to Germany. He was a great and innovative cook who delighted in feeding others and discovering some new kitchen tool. Obsessively curious, his only TV viewing included NOVA, factual documentaries, wildlife, and science. He embraced technology and photography enthusiastically, leaving behind a trove of videotapes, DVDs, cameras and other electronic devices. He loved travel, including camping in the Arizona desert; and he loved all bodies of water, once acquiring a trawler and piloting it from Lake Huron by way of the Tom Bigby Waterway, through the intercoastal waterways of FL, and returning through the Erie Canal. His epic Scrabble skills often allowed him to delightedly engage opponents in spirited bouts of gloating. He was truly a man of many interests who tried to live life fully.
Three words that describe Buck are: Intelligent, Spontaneous, and Gregarious. He will be missed.
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