Maris Baltins

Maris Baltins passed away in the early morning hours of October 2, 2025 with his son, Dr. Mikelis Baltins, at his side, at Deaconess Hospital. Maris was the son of Arturs Baltins, an attorney in Riga, Latvia, and Ksenijia Baltins (Ivanuks), the daughter of the Civil Engineer of Latvia. In the summer of 1944, Maris' parents escaped the Soviet invasion of Latvia by fleeing, in secret, in the middle of the night, and with only those belongings they could carry, as well as Maris' two older brothers who were ages 1 and 3. Maris was born a few months later on December 1, 1944 in a displaced persons camp in Dux, Czechoslovakia. Maris spent the first 5 years of his life as a refugee, where the most prized gift for any child was a simple orange, handed out once a year around Christmas. In 1949, Maris immigrated to the United States through Ellis Island under the Displaced Persons Act of 1948. Maris attended Gonzaga College High School in Washington DC. After graduation, Maris joined the United States Marine Corp. and, in 1966,was deployed to Khe Sahn, Vietnam. He was honorably discharged in 1968. Maris went on to obtain a B.A. from the University of Maryland, followed by a JD and Masters of Law of Tax from Georgetown University. In 1969, Maris met Maija Mikelson, also a daughter of Latvian immigrants, at a Latvian Sorority Party in Maryland. The very next day, Maris ran into (literally) Maija on campus at the University. They were married in 1973, and spent the next 56 years of life together. Maris is fiercely loyal, generous, selfless, protective, grounded, wise, charismatic, gregarious, optimistic, curious, adventurous, fearless and endearing - basically a really cool dude. Maris could make friends of strangers within minutes - a gift that had no geographic boundary, language limitation or limit. He was passionate about his law practice, driven by integrity and dedication to clients - resulting in his seeing cases through trial to the highest levels of the Court. His love for history and travel will live on through the countless hours of video recordings he cultivated from family vacations across the world (including footage of his children reading historical signs and inscriptions along stretches of highway).

Maris is survived by his wife of 56 years, Maija Baltins, his children Maris Arthur Baltins, Dr. Mikelis Baltins (Kelsea Main), and Maija Margaret Druffel (Jed Druffel), his grandchildren, William Arturs Baltins, Mila Marie Baltins, Mateus Maris Druffel, and Coen Ewald Druffel, and his older brother Dr. Aldis Baltins. His mother, father, and brother, Andris Baltins, predeceased him. Maris will be missed terribly, and there will not be a day that he is not in the thoughts and hearts of his loved ones.

A Celebration of Life for Maris will be held at the Spokane Club, Cutter Room, on October 24, 2025 from 1-4 p.m. He will be honored earlier that day at the Veterans Cemetery where he will also be blessed by Father Eugene Tracy.