Nancy Bishop Baxter of Marblehead passed away on June 22, 2019. She was born in Dedham, Massachusetts, the youngest of five children of George and Cora Bishop. After graduating from High School, she worked as a secretary for United Shoe Machinery. She also volunteered as a Red Cross Gray Lady, helping injured veterans recover after World War II. She enjoyed many sports, including downhill skiing. The latter proved to be particularly important since she met her future husband, J. Kenneth Baxter, Jr., through the Vorlage Ski Club. They married in 1957 and settled in Marblehead. They had two children and she devoted herself full time to creating a loving home that allowed her children to reach their very different dreams.
Nancy was an avid gardener; she loved watching things grow. Her flower gardens were beautiful and her vegetable garden was prolific. She grew far more vegetables than her family could eat because she always wanted to have plenty to give to friends, neighbors and the local food shelf. Nancy was an excellent tennis player; her ability to spin the ball challenged many an opponent. She played doubles well into her eighties. Nancy was a member of Corinthian Yacht Club for 55 years. She raced Rhodes 19s and Solings with her husband. Her spinnaker trimming skill was an important contributor to the many races they won. Later, they spent many happy summers cruising New England and the Canadian Maritimes.
She was predeceased by her husband of 47 years, and by a granddaughter, Elizabeth Haskell. She is survived by a son, Jay Baxter, and his wife, Jane, a daughter, Gail Haskell, and her husband, Tim, a granddaughter, Christie Keeney, and her husband, Dave, a grandson, Ben Haskell, and a great granddaughter, Nellie Keeney.
Visiting hours will be Sunday, June 30, 2019, from 4 PM to 6 PM at Eustis & Cornell of Marblehead, 142 Elm Street. A celebration of Nancy’s life will be held Monday, July 1, 2019, at 11 AM, at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 135 Lafayette Street, Marblehead, MA, with interment to follow at Waterside Cemetery. No flowers please. If you would like to honor Nancy’s memory, please consider planting something in your yard or in a pot and share in her love of watching it grow.
