Reverend William Parker Baxter Jr.

BAXTER, JR. , Reverend William Parker On Thursday, January 13, 2011, REVEREND WILLIAM PARKER BAXTER, JR., died peacefully at his home in Ponte Vedra Beach after an extended illness. Born on April 3rd, 1942 in Petersburg, Virginia, the son of the late William Parker and Pattie Morrison Baxter, and for 37 years. He was the beloved husband of Susan Dwelle Baxter and cherished father of William Parker Baxter III and his wife, Ericka, of Denver, Colorado and of Lucy Marshall Baxter of Charlotte, North Carolina. Mr. Baxter was raised in Bethesda, Maryland and attended the University of Virginia and graduated cum laude from the University of Maryland. He then received his M. Div., cum laude, from the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University. He served parishes in Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, Georgia as well as serving on the staff of the Diocese of South Carolina. In 1979, he was called to be Rector of St. Thomas', Garrison Forest in Owings Mills, Maryland where he served for 28 years. While in Maryland, he was deeply involved in Interfaith Dialogue and was a board member of the Institute of Christian and Jewish Studies He was active in Diocesan affairs and served as a five term Deputy of the Episcopal Church's National Convention He was a member of the Hamilton Street Club, a life member of the Greenspring Valley Hunt Club, the Maryland Club and in Ponte Vedra Beach, a member of the Sawgrass Country Club. In retirement, Mr. Baxter served on the staff of Christ Episcopal Church and was interim Rector of Christ Church, San Pablo. He particularly enjoyed playing competitive tennis even during his illness and was an avid reader. He is also survived by his twin sister, Mary Baxter Moser (Max) of Timonium, Maryland and her sons, Michael and Chris Wilson; his sister-in-law, Jacquelyn Dwelle Bates of Ponte Vedra Beach and her children, Jackie Richardson (Ty) of Arlington, Virginia and Edward Bates (Anne-Laure) and their twins, Annabel and Léopold of Paris, France; and his brother-in-law, Edward Dwelle and his children, Cosmo, Sophie and Vincent Dwelle, all of Munich, Germany.
The memorial service will be held at Christ Episcopal Church in Ponte Vedra Beach at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, January 18th. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Thomas' Church, Garrison Forest, 232 St. Thomas Lane, Owings Mills, Md 21117 or to Christ Episcopal Church, 400 San Juan Drive, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082. He was a good man - To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die. Please visit our online Tribute at www.quinn-shalz.com. Services under the care and direction of Quinn-shalz, A Family Funeral Home, Jacksonville Beach, FL.