William Barrett Baxter

William Barrett Baxter " Obituary
October 2, 1926 " July 13, 2014

William Baxter died peacefully at Verde Valley Medical Center in Cottonwood, Arizona on July 13, 2014 after a brief battle with cancer. Bill leaves behind his loving wife of sixty years, Nancy, and five children: Virginia (Bob), Bluemont, VA; Jaine, Philadelphia, PA ; Sue, Jonaker, Sweden; William, Jr. (Wendy), Madison, NJ; and James (Ilca), of Sedona, AZ. He also leaves five grandchildren: Melissa, Christopher, Alec, Kieran, and Rachel; a sister, Nancy Marks; a brother, James Baxter; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Bill was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and grew up in Short Hills, NJ. After graduating from Millburn High School he enlisted in the Navy, trained as an aviator, and ultimately had the primary duty of test piloting captured enemy aircraft. One such plane flown by Bill, a Japanese Zero, is currently hanging in the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum in Washington, DC. After serving his country during WWII, Bill went to college at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. He graduated Cum Laude with a B.S. in Business Administration.

In 1950 Bill was hired by The Ford Motor Company and was selected to participate in its prestigious Whiz Kid management training program. After leaving Ford he entered the insurance business, working primarily as a broker and adviser until he joined the Ingersoll-Rand Company in 1961. As manager of its insurance department, Bill was responsible for the administration of the companys worldwide property, casualty, and employee benefit programs. In 1964 he was hired by the J.C. Penney Company as the companys Director of Risk Management and later also served as the Assistant Treasurer. He retired from J.C. Penney in 1985.

Bill lived life fully and passionately as he pursued numerous interests during his professional career and in retirement. He continued his love of flying by piloting both real and model airplanes. He was an accomplished photographer, and while traveling the world on business and during vacation he took thousands of photographs documenting his visits to numerous countries. Bill was a motorcycle enthusiast, and traveled all over the USA, Canada, and Mexico with Nancy. He and Nancy were also scuba divers, traveling to numerous destinations in the Caribbean and elsewhere, where Bill combined his love of photography with scuba diving, capturing stunning underwater pictures and movies. He was an avid gun collector and enjoyed target shooting with his son Jim.

Throughout his life he had an extraordinary love of all animals, particularly those in need.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made in Bills name to the Sedona Humane Society, 2115 Shelby Drive, Sedona, AZ 86336.

A memorial service will be held in New Jersey at a later date.