Grandpa's Funeral

The Baxter family had a wonderful reunion this past weekend. Close to ninety Baxter relatives (and some Nicolaysen's) converged on our small town, to honor the patriarch of our family, Grandpa Baxter. His funeral was Saturday, May 7th. The night before we had a big family dinner at the church, and it was just like a ward party. We all introduced ourselves and enjoyed getting reacquainted with relatives we haven't seen for a long time. Family came from Alaska, Maryland, Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Texas, California, Colorado, and from the other side of Oregon. Nineteen out of twenty-four grandchildren came, with all their families, and several of Greg's cousins came with families. I think Grandpa was smiling from heaven.

Greg planned games for the kids and they sure had fun. In one game he had them pushing marshmallows with their noses on the floor, then before he could stop them, they picked them up and ate them. There were so many cute great grandkids. Grandpa and Grandma have quite the posterity.

Diana is Greg's Uncle Alton's granddaughter. She and several members of her family came from Utah.

Everyone had a good time visiting.

Grant and Aunt Leila.

The great grandkids and some of Grandpa's great great nephews and nieces practiced singing, I Know That My Savior Loves Me. Only in our church can children from different areas know the same song. And they sang it beautifully.

This really brought tears to my eyes. Grandchildren and their spouses, if they had one, practiced singing Each Life That Touches Ours for Good. This was such a good looking group of young adults. Courtney is in the front.

The funeral was a wonderful tribute to Grandpa. Grant gave the life sketch, the great grandchildren sang, Greg spoke, the grandchildren sang, Dean spoke, Bishop Hindman said a few words, and the President Orton, our stake president, ended with a few comments. It was a happy funeral. Most of my tears came when I thought about Greg, Kacey, and Brooklyn who were unable to attend. One thing that was reaffirmed to me is that life is all about family and very good friends. The pallbearers were all the grandsons, even the three who couldn't be there. Jake is in the back. He got to give the final push of Grandpa's casket into the hearse.

My awesome parents came for the funeral. Although they haven't been able to spend tons of time with Grandpa and Grandma Baxter, they've always had a lot of fun when they've gotten together. The two couples have had great respect for each other.

I'm grateful to have a loyal, loving, supportive daughter.

After a delicious lunch provided by the Relief Society ladies of Baker 1st and 2nd wards, all of Grandpa's posterity plus a few friends traveled to Joseph, Oregon, to bury Grandpa. He and Grandma are being buried in the Tucker family plot, near Grandma's family. The setting was beautiful--rolling hills and mountains on one side and lush green fields down below. Carl and Pam sent the pretty flowers above.

Two friends--my mom and mother-in-law--visiting and keeping each other warm. Greg, in the background, is visiting with Darlene Tucker Turner (her grandfather, Dave Tucker, is famous in this community). Jary, the lady in beige, works in the circuit court in Enterprise. She told me that they love it when Greg comes to Enterprise to be the judge.

This was striking to see Grandpa's grandsons carrying his casket.

The National Guard were at attention, ready to do the 21-gun salute. The military men were impressive.

Everyone first sang, I Am a Child of God, followed by Mike Christofferson, Maxine's oldest son, who dedicated the grave. The grandchildren, accompanied by Aaron Kerns on the guitar and Joe Baxter on the violin, sang a special request by Grandma, In the Garden. This song made me go into what Oprah calls the ugly cry.

Everyone but one baby loved the 21-gun salute. I am thankful for the men and women who serve and have served in the military. Grandpa served in the Navy in San Diego during WWII.

Taps

Our wonderful family! We missed you Greg, Kacey, and Brooklyn. Everyone agreed that this was a beautiful day, not only the funeral services, but the weather too.

Joe, who is in the Coast Guard, presented the flag to Grandma. It was very special.

Our beautiful daughter

Courtney turned nineteen last week. It's so weird to think of her being that old, but she is. She is a wonderful daughter to have. She has a rock solid testimony of the gospel, she is super fun to be around, and she is dedicated and disciplined in whatever thing she is working on (right now that is her college studies). We are thankful for our beautiful girl!

My father-in-law

My father-in-law, Norman Baxter, passed away on April 27th. Greg and I were there when he died, which was a good experience for us. Grandpa had suffered with Alzheimer's for years, and the first thing I thought after he died was, "He doesn't have Alzheimer's any more and never will. He can remember things, he can speak, and he can walk." Grandpa had many wonderful qualities such as being humble, mild-mannered, and without guile. I never heard him say a bad thing about anyone. He was well-loved by the students he taught and extremely loved by his wife, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He had a gift for loving and taking care of babies. This picture of him holding two-month-old Courtney is typical of the soft touch he had with our five babies. They would snuggle up to him as he patted their bottoms, and they were as comfy as could be. We will miss you, Grandpa!

Jacob pulled this picture out of his scrapbook, to show us what Grandpa looked like when he was healthy. I fell in love with it. Grandpa is so happy holding his little namesake, Jacob Norman. Jake has always been proud to have the middle name of Norman. In his early years in school he wrote "Jacob Norman Baxter" on every single paper. Now Jake is 16, and he was fortunate to see his wonderful Grandpa a couple of hours before he passed away and have the opportunity to kiss him and say good-bye. He will cherish those memories.

My husband, Greg, has many of his dad's great qualities. They are both excellent teachers. Every morning when we teach early-morning seminary together, I am continually amazed at Greg's gift for teaching. He laughs and jokes with the kids, but when it comes to teaching the doctrines of the gospel, he does it with great clarity. His dad was a masterful teacher of the gospel too. One thing Greg says about his dad is that he always knew his dad loved him. Greg is also a wonderful father to our children.

Time has flown!

Our family is still alive. It's been a long time since we've posted. Here is a brief update on what our family has been up to since May.

In June we had our 1st Baxter Family Reunion in Florida. We hadn't all been together at the same time since Sam went on his mission in 2006. We had a wonderful time at Disney World, Daytona Beach, and Jacksonville.

In July Greg and Jake went to the National Boy Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia. They went with the troops from the Blue Mountain Council. They got to see Uncle Carl and his son, cousin Stan. They also toured in Washington, D.C. Jake earned some merit badges and earned the really cool George Albert Smith scouting award. Although they practically melted in the humidity, the guys had a wonderful time.

In August Zack flew down to Dallas, Texas, where Sam had been working all summer. He and Sam spent a few days doing fun things. They went to the Oregon State/TCU game (OSU lost). They drove up to Rexburg together.

September: We took Courtney to BYU-Idaho for her first semester of college. She lived in one of the dorms. We LOVE this campus. Greg and I went there thirty years ago and love to visit every chance we get. We have so many good memories there. We got Courtney settled in and spent time with the boys.

Greg and I spent a couple of days in Utah before heading to Martin's Cove, Wyoming, for a handcart trek training. This was one of the most spiritual experiences of our lives. The training by the missionary couples was exceptional, and the Spirit was so strong. We loved hearing the stories of the pioneers and how they kept their hearts focused on Zion. The last day we were there it was really windy and we could imagine just a little bit how cold, hungry, and desperate the people were. Our testimonies were definitely strengthened.

October: Jake ran cross country again and had a good season. Jake and Greg celebrated their birthdays. Jake is now 16! I went to Florida to visit Greg, Kacey, and Brooklyn. They always make my trips fun. Brooklyn was cute, especially when I watched her while her parents were in the temple. She loves to sing Leo the Lion, Jumbo Elephant, and the Bumblebee Song with me.

November: I went to Salem with my niece, Stacey, and her four kids. Jake ran at the State Cross Country meet again in Eugene. He has a fun group of kids to run with. He also got his driver's license on the snowiest day of the year.

Sam, Zack, and Courtney came home for Thanksgiving. They brought a friend, Holly, with them. It was a good week until at least three people got the flu and colds during the week.

The Sunday after Thanksgiving it was discovered that a pipe had broken in the courthouse. The extremely cold weather had caused the pipe to burst directly over Greg's desk. His office was destroyed by the gushing water. All of his furniture had to be thrown out. The court has been moved to a former elementary school. It was a blessing that no one was hurt. The courthouse was a mess!

December: Greg, Kacey, and Brooklyn flew home for Christmas! Coming from warm Florida to freezing Oregon was quite a shock to their systems.

We made goodies, played games late into the night, and one of us got her wisdom teeth pulled. It was fun being together with the entire family.

Brooklyn sporting her new purse!

January: It was busy with swim meets and going to the gym to work off our Christmas pounds. Courtney is off-track right now from BYU-Idaho and has been raking in the money working several good jobs.

February: It snowed again after several weeks of no snow. We were looking forward to spring.