Donald L. Baxter Jr.

Donald Lee Baxter Jr., 84, of El Paso, Texas, passed away on Friday, July 18, 2025. Born on January 8, 1941 in Lima, Ohio to Donald Lee Baxter Sr. and Esther Mae Baxter, Don was many things to many people throughout his life; husband, father, son, soldier, engineer, leader, teacher, athlete, friend, and faithful servant of God.

Don proudly served in the United States Army at Ft. Bliss, TX as an Instructor in the care, feeding, and operations of both the Nike Hawk and Nike Ajax missile defense systems. After his military service Don returned to Ohio where he embarked upon his next career as an Electrical Engineer. This eventually brought him and his family back to El Paso, Texas where he worked for companies including Westinghouse, Union Carbide, and Eveready where he ultimately retired as Operations Manager.

Don had a deep and abiding faith in God and spent much of his life and time involved in service and fellowship with the church. He had a love of the outdoors and enjoyed sharing this with his children through hiking and camping during their time in Scouting. He loved fast cars and had quite a few throughout the years. Building models was a lifelong passion and he spent untold hours crafting ships, cars, airplanes, and even a massive model train set that filled most of the family garage. He had an everlasting interest in electronics and was always exploring and acquiring new technology whether it was audio, video, cameras, computers, and even drones. He loved to read and maintained a very respectable library. He enjoyed travel and embarked upon many cherished adventures near and far with his wife and family and friends throughout his life.

Don was a devoted and dedicated son, preceded in death by his parents Donald Lee Baxter Sr. and Esther Mae Baxter. He was a loving and loyal husband, survived by his wife Patricia Marie Baxter. He was a supportive and selfless father, survived by his children; daughter Terri Lynn Lipps, grandchildren Emily and Ryan; son Christopher and wife Kimberly, grandson Connor; and son Stephen, grandchildren Christian, Jacob, and Liana.

A memorial and celebration of Don's life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that you consider a donation in Donald's name to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation ( https://www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org/ ) or another favored charity of your choice.