Michael Baldwin

Michael Roy Baldwin was born on June 16, 1958 in Houston, Texas. He was the second son of Albert Loyd Baldwin and Etta Mae O’Neil. Michael passed peacefully from this life on Tuesday April 29, 2025 at age 66.

Michael spent most of his early years growing up in Kashmere Gardens. It is here that he made lifelong friendships with Judy Pearson, Don Carter and Gary Glover. Along with Mike’s younger brother, Dwight, they formed a close knit family of friends who played and often worked at the same jobs together for years. Mike attended school in Houston and graduated from Kashmere High School in 1976. While at Kashmere, Mike became fascinated by music. Although he did play tuba in the marching band, his real love of music came from following the success of the stage band and it’s director, Conrad O. Johnson. Mike used to hang out at their practices, sometimes when he should have been elsewhere. His love of music remained with him throughout his life.

After graduating from Kashmere, Michael enrolled at Texas Southern University, while working at Hughes Tools. After a year of trying to balance school and work, Michael enlisted into the armed forces, joining the Air Force, where he served for 4 years as a Military Policeman. Mike served from November 1977-November 1981. Mike was primarily based at Bergstrom Air Force Base in Austin, Texas, but also served brief tours of duty in Germany and Egypt. After leaving the Air Force, Mike earned a certificate in architectural and civil drafting at a technical school in Austin. Drafting and design was his second love and became his profession for most of his life.

Mike worked at a number of engineering firms over the years. His second drafting job, had him moving from Austin to Hacketstown, New Jersey where he met his wife, Karen (then Spriggs). They met on a blind date in February of 1989 and were married in November that same year.

Mike and Karen moved back to his hometown of Houston in 1990 and Mike subsequently worked for a number of years at Charles D. Gooden Engineering, during this time he completed an Associates Degree in Architectural and Civil Drafting and Design at Houston Community College. He then went on to work with the City of Houston in the building permits department.

In 1992, Mike and Karen joined Purple Robe Missionary Baptist Church under the pastorship of Reverend Gus Henry Jr. and his wife Shirley Henry. Mike and Karen were introduced to the Purple Robe Family, by a coworker, close friend and fellow parishioner, Sister Betty Pace. Together they formed a spiritual family that strengthened their faith and enriched their lives with a lifelong friendship.

In 1998, two beautiful young souls came into the lives of Mike and Karen. Rosezetta and her brother Joseph were gifted to them to become a part of their family. Family had always been important to Mike and he felt deeply the blessing of having them in his life. With Rosezetta and Joseph also came an adoption into a new family with Mrs. Marine(Wheeler) Minor and her daughter Mary Holt and family. They became a second family and Mike was always grateful for their friendship.

In 2012, Mike supported his wife and her family by moving the family to Karen’s hometown of Virginia Beach, Virginia to help care for her father until her father passed. Mike moved back to Texas and joined the Texas Department of Transportation Office in Angleton, Texas from which he retired in 2019.

Mike is preceded in death by his parents, Albert and Etta Mae (O’Neil)Baldwin, older brother , John, younger brother, Dwight, and sister Eunice.

He is survived by his wife of 35 years Karen(Spriggs)Baldwin; his daughter Rosezetta and son Joseph; his grandchildren, Jaida Brown-Baldwin and Jacob Baldwin; his younger brothers, Chester Baldwin and wife Sharon, Billy(Jeffrey)Baldwin and wife Alvia; his aunts, Adline Turner and Elaine White; his nephews Keith Cooper, Richard(Roscoe)Terry, Chester(Lil C)Baldwin, Mathew Baldwin, and William Spriggs; his nieces, Yvette(Baldwin)Navy, Dashaunda(Baldwin)Richardson, Perri Etta(Baldwin)Jackson, Maiya Baldwin, and Moriah Baldwin; and many cousins and grand nephews and nieces.