Brock Jonathan Carl Baxter
July 13, 1987 - October 13, 2007

Brock Baxter was a young man who faced many challenges in his life, challenges he was determined to triumph over. He was that way, though, always so positive, always hopeful for the future. Brock was a beloved son, grandson, and brother. A young man with big plans and bigger dreams. There are so many things in this world we cant understand, yet this much we do: Brock was a gift to us, a gift we will love and cherish forever.

Brocks story began on a hot summer day in 1987, in the shoreline city of Muskegon, Michigan. Don and Cynthia Baxter found reason to celebrate, with the birth of a beautiful baby boy on July 13, a hot, muggy Monday in Muskegon. They named their son Brock Jonathon Carl Baxter, after his great-grandfather and great- great-grandfather, and couldnt have been prouder.

Brock was an adorable baby, too, with strawberry blond hair and big green eyes, and should have been a Gerber model. He was a big baby, with hands so big, he should have been born holding a football, as his grandmother joked. Brock was too busy holding his mom and was a very snuggly little baby. Little Brock joined his big sisters Amber and Jessie in the familys home, and as a toddler he enjoyed chasing his sisters around the house with the variety of bugs and snakes he loved collecting.

His mom and dad eventually split up, but his family would soon be growing. Brocks mom answered an ad in the singles classifieds (back then there was no such things as match.com!). Much to her surprise, she met who would end up being her next husband! It turned out to be a man named Bill Mitchell. They met in December and were married that May. Bill had two children of his own, and together they formed the perfect Brady Family. The couple was married on May 2, 1996, and not long after, they packed up and left Muskegon for Danville, Virginia, relocating for Bills job.

The move brought the family closer together, as they had only each other to rely on. The kids were all similar ages, making their home a hotbed of activity, with the teenage years filled with running the kids here and there (Brock, in particular). Brock was a typical teenager, and enjoyed playing pickup basketball games with his stepdad and his friends. He loved classic old time movies, antiques, and classic rock, especially Nirvana, AC/DC, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Bob Marley.

Brock began attending George Washington High School in Danville, where he had dreams of one day becoming an engineer to utilize his talent and interest in mathematics. It was a very big high school, the kind kids can get lost in, and he soon realized he was better suited to getting his GED. He worked some fast-food jobs while going to school (Taco Bell, Burger King and Little Caesars were always his favorite foods).

It was during this time that Brock began befriending people he shouldnt have trusted to be his friends. That was the way Brock was always so bighearted, so trusting, and so loyal to the people in his life. He also had a fondness for finding strays and was always bringing home dogs, cats, or kids. It wasnt unusual for his parents to wake up in the morning and find a friend Brock had brought home, for a good home-cooked meal and a change of clothes (his clothes).

The family made the decision to move back to the Muskegon / Whitehall area after the death of Cindis father, allowing then to be closer to the rest of their family. Brock made the decision to join them shortly thereafter and joined his family back in Whitehall. Brock was sad to leave behind the handful of good kids who positively impacted him and who stuck with him through thick and thin. Upon returning to Michigan, he took up the challenge of getting his life back on track. He was trying very hard to re-connect with the world, and to participate with the right group of people who would keep him pointed in the right direction.

Brock also sincerely apologized to his family for what they had gone through and told Bill that he had learned so much from his mistakes. He wanted to help other kids like him to make different choices than he had made, and felt he could connect to them in a way they could understand and relate to. Over the past few years Brock had learned so many life lessons that he openly talked about writing a book that would be both helpful and insightful to others.

Brock also entered a treatment facility and had been clean and sober for more than 90 days. He had a new, healthy outlook on life and told his mom how much he was looking forward to spending the holidays with his family this year. He was even looking forward to helping decorate.

His family meant the world to him, and he was always so protective of them, especially his mother. He would even get in fights with kids who called him mommas boy (and win). No matter what challenges he faced in life, he was at heart the same, sweet little boy who clung to his mother so tightly as a child.

Sadly, Brocks challenges proved too difficult for him to overcome, and he died on Saturday, October 13, 2007, at the age of 20.

Brock was a young man who faced many challenges in his life, many hurdles, yet through it all he kept his family close at heart. No matter what he faced, Brock was a beloved son, grandson, and brother, a young man with big plans and bigger dreams. His friends said Brocks purpose in life was to show others the way. There are so many things in this world we cant understand, yet this much we do: Brock was a gift to us, a gift we will love, cherish and remember forever. He will be so greatly missed.

He leaves to cherish his memory his mother, Cynthia (William) Mitchell of Muskegon; father, Donald Baxter II of NC; grandparents, Virginia Archer of Whitehall, Donald Baxter Sr. of Montague & Sam Galindo of NC; 2 sisters, Amber (Mark) Miller of Twin Lake & Jessie Baxter of NC; Step brother, Adam Mitchell & a step sister, Beth (Chris) Toller, half brother Joseph Baxter, step sister Emily Baxter and Mr. Cuddles, the cat he rescued. He was preceded in death by his grandfather, Mason Archer & his grandmother, Sharon Galindo.

Services are scheduled for Thursday, October 18, 2007, 11:00AM at First Evangelical Lutheran Church. Visitation is Thursday, one hour prior to the service at First Evangelical Lutheran Church. In lieu of flowers please consider donations to the family. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com to leave a memory or sign the online guest book.

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