Glenn Lee Baxter

By By

Our beloved husband and father, Glenn Lee Baxter, 80, died on Sept, 28, 2016 due to complications associated with vascular dementia. He had recently moved from Green River, Utah, to Chancellor Gardens Assisted Living Center in Clearfield, Utah, where he received excellent care from an extraordinary staff. Glenn was born in Santa Maria, Calif., on Oct. 13, 1935. His young life was spent in California, his teens in Arizona, and he graduated from Texas A&M University in 1957 as an Electrical Engineer. He met and married Maurine (Jo) Davey while at college. They had three daughters: Peggy Van Cleve, Grand Junction, Colo.; Bonnie Lindgren, Kuna, Idaho; and Jennifer Mueller, Roy, Utah.
Glenn took his family all over the country (daughters were born in Texas, California, and New York), using his electrical and technical skills to work in the aerospace industry, finally arriving in Green River, Utah, in 1964. Because Glenn and Jo liked the small community and wanted to raise their family there, they chose to stay after the missile program ended. They realized that building a business would provide the means for the family to stay in the community they so enjoyed; the Chow Hound drive-in was born (1973).
The aerospace industry kept urging him to take on short-term positions, which took him to Wallops Island, VA and Wake Island, US territory. Glenn, always industrious, also maintained a side business (Electro-System Repair) which offered electrical services to individuals and businesses in the Green River area. Due to that work, Glenn was instrumental in maintaining the television translators on Cedar Mountain and G-Hill.
Glenn had many interests, both personal and civic, and willingly used his talents and resources to help many community members. In the seventies, Glenn became actively involved in the CCRMA, the organization responsible for the annual River Marathon and Friendship Cruise. He served on the Canal Company and Medical Center boards; he often did maintenance on the medical center building’s electrical systems. He was an avid snow and water skier, a sometime dirt bike explorer, and began a hobby of flying airplanes. This hobby transformed his life, as he purchased shares in Redtail Aviation and began flying as a FAA-certified commercial pilot and A&P mechanic. Over the course of several years, he became sole owner of Redtail. The bulk of the company sales was transporting multi-day river rafting passengers between the wilderness and civilization using short dirt runways in often windy conditions.
Family life was joyful with camping and boating at Lake Powell. His love of the outdoors transformed to guiding trails with the Red Rock 4-Wheelers, using his honed memory for directions. He was humbled to receive the Red Rock 4-Wheeler of the Year award in 2013; he thought it was silly to be so honored for something he enjoyed so much. Glenn’s other big interest was assisting his friend, Roger Lessman of Lessman Racing, as they sought to exceed the land speed record at Bonneville Salt Flats. Many days were spent working toward reaching 400 mph in a natural gas powered streamliner.
Glenn would do anything he set his mind to, using his engineering brain and bulldog determination. His life motto might be “Persistence plus determination equals omnipotence” except that he wasn’t a braggart or show off. He was known as being a tightwad, so few know of the generosity he demonstrated time and again to needy families or causes. One time, a collection jar was set up and Glenn put in a twenty and someone else said “If Glenn can do $20, I can do $30.” The momentum of his gift greatly helped the needy family.
A big part of Glenn’s life was to do things with family. His progeny gave him great joy and he never hesitated to join in (or instigate) family gatherings. Trips to Lake Powell, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Lagoon were frequent and enjoyable. Annual family reunions and Christmas gatherings were highlights of his years. He went ice skating with his great grandchildren at the age of 77, which resulted in a broken femur, to which he commented, “Yeah, maybe that wasn’t the best idea.” He will be fondly remembered for his goofy jokes, his talent for revising the words to commonly known tunes, and his alliteration with someone’s name (like Sally the Salubrious or Diane the Delightful).
Glenn is survived by his wife, Jo, and his daughters Peggy (Jerry) Van Cleve, Bonnie (Rob) Lindgren, and Jennifer (Louis) Mueller. His grandchildren have numerous great memories: John and Ben Crist and Liz (Justin) Svalina; Eric (Nisha), Raymond, and Nate (Christina) Lindgren; Paul (Crystal) Lindelien, Stephanie (Kenan) Powell, Michelle (Kalen) Sullivan, and Aaron (Shawnee) Mueller. Glenn has numerous great grandchildren who have enjoyed listening to him read to them and play with them.
There will be no formal service, as Glenn’s last act of generosity was to donate his body to the University of Utah’s medical science facility so young people can continue to build their knowledge of the human body.
The family would like to express immeasurable gratitude to the staff of Chancellor Gardens and Comfort Worx Hospice – these amazing people helped make this transition manageable. Should you feel compelled to honor Glenn, please contribute financially to Salvation Army or any pre-1990 Volkswagon Club of your choice.