Walter "Walt" Lee Baldwin
Aug 30, 1930 -
Mar 30, 2022
Beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather Walter "Walt" Lee Baldwin passed away at home on March 30, 2022, surrounded by family in Anchorage, Alaska. He was 91 years old. Walt was the youngest of nine children born during the Great Depression on Aug. 30, 1930, in Dilworth, Minn.
Walt was proud of his military service. He first served with the National Guard and then the Navy during the Korean War.
Walt met the love of his life, Leona "Noni" Baldwin, at a Grange Hall dance where he spotted Noni in a red velvet dress. After the dance they only had a few days together before Walt was deployed to Korea on the USS Princeton aircraft carrier. They fell in love through writing letters to each other and were married on Jan. 26, 1953. They just celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary.
Fueled with the spirit of adventure, Walt and Noni moved to the Last Frontier, Anchorage, in 1955. Walt learned to hunt, fish and garden to feed their growing family. He was responsible for maintaining and ensuring the operation of U.S. Army Nike Hercules missile installations in Alaska during the Cold War.
Walt, Noni and their four children moved to Thailand in 1966 so Walt could take a management job in Vietnam during the war. The entire family has fond memories of visiting exotic Asian locations, ancient Buddhist temples, historical sites and developing an enduring love of Thai food.
After three years in Asia, Walt and Noni moved the family back to Anchorage, which remained home. Walt had a 25-year second career with New York Life helping families plan for their future. He also served lead roles with National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, advocating for the financial services industry and mentoring new agents.
Walt built cabins, helped his adult kids with numerous construction projects, lovingly crafted fine jewelry boxes, cabinets and hutches, and continually improved their family cabin on Big Lake. Walt loved being on the water, captaining his bright yellow boat called Super Banana and spending many hours patiently driving the boat as his kids stood up behind the boat and promptly fell while learning to water-ski.
The Big Lake cabins became the family hub that allowed all the grandchildren to grow up together and become close friends. They would all show up weekend mornings for Grandpa Walt's and Grandma Noni's pancakes with lots of berries, whip cream and syrup. Even when Grandma Noni took over pancake cooking duties, there was nothing Walt liked better than having a small grandchild or great-grandchild crawl into his lap so he could feed them a spoon of whipped cream and berries. The legacy continues to this day with weekend fun and our large family gatherings.
Walt's love of the outdoors ensured he had a fishing pole in his hands whenever possible. He took kids and grandkids on numerous fishing adventures to the Kenai, Little Susitna, Deshka, Homer, Seward and numerous other hot spots where salmon or halibut could be found. He continued fishing until he just couldn't hold a pole on cold mornings any longer.
And even as Alzheimer's stole his memories, he remembered to tell Noni she was his sweetheart and to tell us all he loved us.
Walt is survived by his wife, Leona "Noni" Baldwin; sister, Rene Schmidt; four children; 10 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.
The children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and other important family members: Dr. Cathy Baldwin-Johnson, her husband Rick Johnson and their children, Travis Johnson and his partner Lindsey Dailey, Kristin Johnson, Keith Baldwin and his wife Rev. Joy Lovejoy and their children/grandchildren; Eric Baldwin and his sons, Soren Baldwin, Nico Baldwin, Christopher Baldwin and daughters, Lexi Baldwin, Elise Baldwin, Julie Baldwin and her husband Robby Clodfelter and their children/grandchildren; Matthew Templeton, his wife Courtney Templeton and their children, Hudson Templeton, Britton Templeton, Sarah Templeton, Alexis Clodfelter and his wife Delaney Clodfelter and and their child; Otis Clodfelter, Amber Hartley, her husband Josh Hartley and their child, Marina Hartley; Amy Clifford, her husband Chris Clifford and their children, Ashley Clifford and her fiance Casey Lark, Jessica Clifford and her fiance Kyler Bone.
Walt blessed his family and friends with a kind heart, a helping hand and a ready smile. We will celebrate his wonderful life at St. Mark Lutheran Church in Anchorage on April 29, 2022, at 3 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in his honor be made to The Children's Place Child Advocacy Center, P.O. Box 871788, Wasilla, AK 99687. Founded by his oldest daughter, The Children's Place provides a place for hope and healing for children and families impacted by abuse and neglect.
