Maris BALTINS

December 1, 1944 - October 2, 2025

Spokane - Maris Baltins passed away in the early morning hours of October 2, 2025, with his son, Mikelis, at his side, at Deaconess Hospital (many thanks to the entire medical team at Deaconess for its compassion and care). Maris was the son of Arturs Baltins, an attorney in Riga, Latvia, and Ksenija 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 five 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 Corps. 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 J.D. and Masters of Law of Tax from Georgetown University. In 1969, Maris met Maija Mickelson, also a daughter of Latvian immigrants, at a Latvian party in Maryland. The very next day, Maris ran into (literally) Maija on campus at the University and they spent the remaining 56 years of his life together (married in 1973). 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 appeals at the highest Court level. His pride for Latvia, its language and culture, lives on through his children and grandchildren. His love for history and travel is preserved in 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. Lai dievi?š tevi pasarg?.

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.