Jerry Lee Baxter, 74, passed away at his home in Beeville, Texas on October 12, 2024. He was born May 27, 1950 in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Lawrence Edward Baxter and Sylvia Seville Surface. He was a 1968 graduate of Southport High School and was a proud member of the Indianapolis Masonic Temple and Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. He was a third-degree mason. He attended Martinsville Trinity Worship Center in Indiana and Christian Worship Center in Beeville, Texas. He was a master plumber and started his career at 10 years old with hand cutting and threading pipe.

Jerry had a passion for building and creating. He was an artist in his own right. The work he could create with his hands was beautiful including walking sticks made with love. He loved to hunt and fish and he was proud to be a true mountain man. He was a proud Conservative and Trump supporter. His sense of humor was fantastic and he laughed with his whole body. He lived life on his own terms and definitely did it “his way.” His tag line was “I’m Jerry Lee and I am Drama Free.” He will be missed. He shared his time and passion for Alaska with his beloved Sandra Keller for almost 20 years. He was married to Binda Louise Hamilton on May 29, 1969, in Indianapolis, for 22 years. To this union, the couple was blessed with three daughters, Tammy, Shelby and Azur.

Jerry was preceded in death by his parents, Lawrence Edward Baxter and Sylvia Seville Surface; a brother, Roger Baxter; and two sisters, Nancy Taylor and Joy Baxter-Johnson.

Left behind to cherish fond memories include his six siblings, Larry Baxter, Donald Baxter, Audra Reed, Becky Tex, Bill Baxter and Margie Hamm; his three beloved daughters, Tammy (Jimmy) Petro, Shelby Coates and Azur Baxter; six grandchildren, Nikki (Lindsay) Petro, Logan Petro, Kiersten (Maverick) McDaniel, Chandler Jackson, Graham Brester and Shea Jackson; and two great-grandchildren, Andrew Maverick McDaniel and Raya Nicole Mudd.

Jerry will be cremated and his ashes will be spread in the Tonsina River in the Copper Valley in Alaska by his loving family.