Baxter Lewis Correll

Baxter Lewis Correll, also known as “Bat” was born on June 11, 1929 in Birmingham, Alabama. Bat and his wife Marie Correll lived in High Island, Texas. He went to be with his Lord and Savior on June 22, 2014.

He is preceded in death by his son David Edgar Correll, his parents Sadie Mae Grider and Earl Edgar Correll, his brothers Earl Edgar Correll Jr., William Andy Correll, Robert Cleveland Correll, his sisters Virginia Ann Lucas, and Dorothy Jean Ferguson. He is survived by his wife, Marie Correll, his children Wayne Correll, Steve Gardner, Valerie Turpin and Dorothy Witucki, 11 grandchildren, 4 great grandchildren, many extended family members and a countless number of loving friends.

Bat proudly served his country in the United States Navy from July of 1946 to July of 1948. He has been a dedicated Mason since May of 1960. He has had numerous entrepreneurial experiences to which he has always prided himself in never having received a paycheck from anyone. Some of these endeavors include The Rinky Dink, Airline Pawn Shop, Airline Industries Inc. , Hitchcock RV Park and High Island RV Park. The High Island RV Park was much more than a business, it was truly a place where Bat shared so much love, laughter and made lifelong friendships. He was a dedicated and hard working man all of his life.

He was a member of St. Matthews Methodist Church in High Island. For several years he served the Lord by working on the church grounds. His face would absolutely light up as he told you his next project that he would eagerly tackle at the church such as painting, cleaning, making bird houses, fixing pews and so much more. He would proudly say, “I’m working on God’s house today!” He considered it a privilege and badge of honor - it made him happy. He loved Jesus and understood redemption. Often he would share his daily devotionals from his book The Upper Room to whoever was available to listen. He went on a life-changing trip to Israel in 1999 where he was baptized in the Jordan River. The pictures of his Israel trip would comfort him during his final days.

Bat was an amazing husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend to so many. He was a worker bee, a man’s man, and a man of his word. Some of his favorite things to do were fishing, pulling slot machines, throwing parties, crawfish boils, BBQ’s, his famous Easter Egg Hunt (that he got a big kick out of), telling stories, telling jokes, laughing with friends and being with his family.

We will never forget his laugh or his zeal for life. He truly lived life to the fullest extent. He loved an honest day of labor- he said it made him rest well. He always told us that your best help in life is at the end of your right arm. When he had an idea, he was up and running! A perfect example is the large cross that he built on the beach out of telephone poles after hurricane Ike. The cross remains…all that loved and knew him, know about the cross.

We will never forget our Batman! Bat will be painfully missed. He leaves an amazing legacy and has touched countless lives. We will continue to share his stories and the sweet memories he has left on each of our hearts. Recently his favorite quotes were , “You’ve got that right” and “ It’s not important how many days a man lives, but what he did with those days…”

Memorial Service Information:

Life Celebration Wednesday, June 25, 2014 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm at St. Matthews Methodist Church, 1308 Weeks Avenue, High Island, Tx. 77623. Graveside Funeral Service to follow at 2:30 pm at Brookside Cemetery located at 13401 Eastex Freeway at Lauder Road, Houston, Tx. 77039.