Rachel Baldwin

Jan 8, 2023

Our dear Rachel Baldwin left us peacefully in early January surrounded by family. She was a loving wife of 61 years, devoted mother, proud grandmother and loyal friend to many.

She began her long life of 91 years in South Dakota, the youngest of 10 children.

Her career of teaching took her to Germany, where she met her husband Joe. After settling in Anchorage, Alaska, with their family she resumed her love of teaching in the Anchorage School District and retired in the mid 1990s.

She and Joe loved to travel with family and friends and enjoyed touring in many countries. Her most rewarding trip was to Romania to care for children at an orphanage. No doubt, every baby she held felt the warm embrace of a loving mother. Throughout her life she participated in many activities that included cooking and baking for church activities, sewing quilts and square dancing. Later in her life she took up hand braiding woolen rugs, which she donated to her church bazaar fundraising to help provide funds to organizations that support people in need. She was a Girl Scout leader, served on the church alter guild at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, was a thrift shop manager, sewed many quilts, was a fisher women that included dip netting for salmon on the Copper River and went on many hunting and berry picking trips on the Denali Highway.

She is survived by her husband, Joe; daughters, Brenda (Dave) and Libby (Paul); grandson, Ryan; and many nieces and nephews.

She will be remembered for her kindness, generosity, faith and her delicious smoked salmon from fish caught on the Kenai River. A celebration of life will be scheduled at a later date. Those who wish can make a donation to a charitable organization of their choice.