The Rev. William Baxter Jr., a retired Episcopal priest and former rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Owings Mills, died Jan. 13 of leukemia at his home in Ponte Vedra, Fla.
He was 68.
Mr. Baxter, the son of a federal worker and an educator, was born in Petersburg, Va., and raised in Bethesda.
After graduating from Chevy Chase High School, he attended the University of Virginia and earned a bachelor's degree in 1965 from the University of Maryland, College Park.
In 1968, he received a master's in divinity from the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University. Ordained an Episcopal priest that year, Mr. Baxter later served parishes in Washington and Atlanta and was a member of the staff of the Diocese of South Carolina.
Mr. Baxter was appointed rector of St. Thomas' in 1979 and held that position for the next 28 years, until retiring in 2007.
"Bill was a remarkable person who just had a very kind personality," said Dr. R. Robinson Baker, a retired Baltimore physician who is a communicant of the Owings Mills church.
"He loved people and loved the position he was in. He enjoyed taking care of people and especially those who had problems," Dr. Baker said.
The Rev. Caroline R. Stewart, senior associate rector at the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, first became acquainted with Mr. Baker when she was a vestry member and later a junior and senior warden at St. Thomas.
When Mrs. Stewart decided to enter the priesthood, she said Mr. Baxter became a valuable spiritual guide and mentor and preached at her ordination.
"Bill accompanied me through the seven-year process and has been a great supporter and mentor for more than 30 years," Mrs. Stewart said.
She recalled that Mr. Baxter was fond of describing himself as "just a simple country priest."
"Yet now, as I reflect back upon his life, I think Bill was right … he was 'just a simple country priest' … simple not as in plain or naïve … but rather 'simple' as in uncomplicated and wise; simple as in confident in his personhood, confident in his priesthood," Mrs. Stewart said in her eulogy for Mr. Baxter.
"And that is what made him so approachable and so respected. Clearly, he was well-read and well-traveled. His sermons were regularly supplemented by stories of his trips as well as his experiences he had in the arts … poetry, literature, Broadway, movies," she said. "Bill did not like fuss, either in the pulpit, in the church or in his life."
Mrs. Stewart described his preaching style as "simple."
"It was direct and understandable. His theology was uncomplicated but relevant. He kept the parishioner's attention by simplicity and directness," she said.
In addition to his work at St. Thomas', Mr. Baxter served on numerous committees of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland.
He was a strong believer in interfaith dialogue and was a longtime board member of the Institute for Christian and Jewish Studies, which supports conversation and cooperation among various faiths in the Baltimore area.
He also served as chaplain at Garrison Forest School and at the Society of the Ark and Dove. He was a member of the Maryland Club, Green Spring Valley Hunt Club, Hamilton Street Club and the Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra.
After retiring, Mr. Baxter moved to Ponte Vedra, where he was a member and served on the staff of Christ Episcopal Church.
Mr. Baxter enjoyed playing tennis and reading.
In closing her eulogy, Mrs. Stewart quoted Mr. Baxter.
"As you often quoted, 'Life is short, we do not have much time to gladden the hearts of those who travel with us, so be swift to love and make haste to be kind,'" Mrs. Stewart said.
A memorial service was held Tuesday at his church in Ponte Vedra.
Surviving are his wife of 37 years, the former Susan Dwelle; a son, William Parker Baxter III of Denver; a daughter, Lucy Marshal Baxter of Charlotte, N.C.; a sister, Mary Baxter Moser of Timonium; and several nieces and nephews.