Mark Vail Baxter of Pacific Beach, Wash. passed away unexpectedly on July 14, 2018, at the age of 73 after suffering a traumatic brain injury. Mark will be greatly missed by his family and friends. He was the beloved husband of Linda Baxter and loving father to Kimberly Albert and her husband Steve of Austin, Texas, Patrick Baxter and his wife Kimberly of Kirkland, Wash., Jodi Lewis of Sumner, Wash. and Jennifer Schindler and her husband Clint of Sumner, Wash. He was a proud and much adored grandfather to Trevor, Brooke and Brandon Albert, Haleigh and Tiffany Baxter, Jessica, Josh, Joel and Justin Pena, Jacob and Dylan Clark, Madison, Raena, Skyler and Bella Schindler, Justine Lewis and great-grandchildren Jameson and Benjamin Wenz. He is also survived by his dear sister Joy Reinhart and husband, Ted.

Mark was a Postal Inspector with the federal government from 1970 until his retirement in 1996. He was known for his intellect, work ethic and creativity. In his “retirement”, he designed and built his own home in Pacific Beach, Wash. His home was a favorite place for his family and friends to congregate and numerous memories were made there. In addition, he built a thriving and successful storage business from ground up, Aloha Storage. He still made time to serve his community in various roles – volunteer fireman and ambulance driver, member of the Grays Harbor County Board of Adjustment as well as fire commissioner.

A strong and vibrant man, Mark loved the outdoors. He enjoyed traveling, fishing, skiing, and hiking, especially hiking with his best friend Bruce Vestal.

It was no secret to those that knew him, Mark had a zest for life, he never missed an opportunity for a good-natured practical joke. His heart was huge and he showed a great deal of compassion for others. Words cannot express how much he will be missed. Mark (Dad, Gramps, Pops, Grandpa Good Looking, Leroy or Bax, as he was known to friends) influenced many lives and he will live on through the people who were fortunate enough to be touched by him.

Services were held at noon on Monday, July 23, at Sumner United Methodist Church, 901 Wood Ave in Sumner. A burial ceremony then took place at 3 p.m. at Sumner Cemetery, 12324 Valley Ave E in Puyallup. If desired, memorial donations may be made to support programs at the Pacific Beach Elementary School, PO Box 338 Pacific Beach, WA 98571.