Assembled here are some of the memorable songs which feature the smooth, comforting, and inspiring voice and piano artistry of Betty Baxter. For those who have been previously blessed by her singing they will bring flooding back sweet memories of times past. And for everyone her recorded voice will touch your heart as you listen. Betty Baxter was certainly faithful to The Last Mile of the Way.

By default the music will begin playing from the top of the songs listed below and automatically continue down through the list. YOU CAN ADJUST THE PLAYBACK USING THE CONTROLS: To raise or lower the volume just click higher or lower on the scale (originally set at 80% and you may also need to adjust the volume controls on your computer), << Jump to the previuos recording, || Pause or > Resume Play, >> Jump to the next recording, [] Stop playback, O Loop or repeat the playback, X Shuffle the playback list, and even Delete songs from the list of those to be played by clicking on the X on the right of the title. Also, you use your keyboard arrow keys to ↑ raise and ↓ lower the volume and ← jump back or → forward in the play list, and use your <space bar> to pause or resume play. If you want to listen to a particular song of your chosing, just CLICK on that song title to select an audio recording from the list below.

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Musical Notes    Obituary    Remembrances    Photos    Share Your Remembrances

Musical Notes

From the original Baxter Family album recorded in 1963 entitled "We Sing Because We're Happy":

Track 1 - Betty and R.V. sing the beautiful "HOW ABOUT YOUR HEART?"

Tracks 2 and 3 - Two heartfelt songs that by 1963 had become known to many as Baxter standards: "DOWN ON MY KNEES" and "HE KNOWS JUST WHAT I NEED."

Track 4 - Betty and R.V. sing the type of song they did best, "WHISPERING HOPE."

Track 5 - Betty, of course, plays piano accompaniment on most of their album's selections. Here Betty presents a piano solo, in her marvelous way, of the Stuart Hamblin favorite "IT IS NO SECRET."

Track 6 - In a typical Baxter arrangement, Betty pours from her heart the question, "LORD! HAVE I DONE MY PART?" and R.V. narrates a verse at the song's end.

Track 7 - Betty and R.V. join their voices once again on "DO YOU KNOW MY JESUS?"

Track 8 - Their first album ended with this, another Baxter arrangement, as Betty and R.V. together sing their song with a message to the world, "THE KING AND I."

From the second Baxter Family album entitled "Singing Along the Way" recorded in 1966:

Track 9 - Betty Baxter gives her marvelous voice to "TOUCH THE HAND OF THE LORD."

From the third Baxter Family album entitled "Rock of Love" recorded in 1968:

Track 10 - Her eldest son, Rick, sings the trustworthy words of each verse and Betty leads the family on the chorus with her inspirational voice in "IT'S JUST ABOUT OVER" - a wonderful and meaningful song written by Mr. Jack Campbell.

And finally from the fourth Baxter Family album entitled "Live A Happy LIFE" recorded c.1969:

Track 11 - Betty sincerely and fittingly sings the verses of the thought provoking "THE LAST MILE OF THE WAY" closing out our examples of the music Betty Walls Baxter shared with the world during her lifetime.

These recordings were originally made about 50 years ago by the R.V. and Betty Baxter family of Rockford, Illinois, and later of Corning, Arkansas, and still later of Atlanta, Illinois ... and so these digital reproductions have been made from a vinyl record that has seen many years of use. While great care has been taken to attempt to restore them to their original lustre you will still be able to detect some of the pops and scratchiness inherent on these old recordings.

Obituary

Betty Charlotte Baxter - Age 81, passed away peacefully April 12, 2012 surrounded by her loving family. Betty was born on April 14, 1930 in Corning, AR to Sylvester and Belvie Walls.

She was mother and co-founder of the gospel singing Baxter Family (Listen online to their recorded albums).

Mrs. Baxter resided in Bloomington, Illinois for many years and retired from Eureka. After relocating to Tennessee, she attended the Assembly of God in Hendersonville.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Sylvester and Belvie Walls; loving husband of 30 years, R.V. Baxter; daughter, Paula Baxter; brothers, Tiddle, Chet, Lute, and Les Walls; sister, Bea; She is survived by her sons, Rick (Karen) Baxter, Mark Baxter, and Duncan (Jeanine) Baxter; daughters, Lori (Jef) Allardin and Melodie Baxter; grandchildren, Josh Baxter, Heather Miller, Leann Baxter, Lori Middleton and Gabe Gordon; great-grandchildren, Tylar and London Gordon, Hailey Baxter, Carson McKellar, Payden and Brooklyn Miller.

Two visitations will be held; Saturday April 14, 2012 from 2 – 5 pm at Hendersonville Funeral Home, 353 Johnny Cash Pkwy, Hendersonville, TN and Monday, April 16, from 11 – 2 p.m. at Ermert Funeral Home, Corning, AR. Family and Friends will serve as pallbearers. Please send all flower arrangements to Ermert Funeral Home or memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude's Hospital in Memphis, TN.

The family celebrates Betty's incredible life and cherishes a mother of faith, family, and music. "The only love greater than a Mother's love is God's Love."

Learn more about Betty Baxter at

Remembrances

I am Roger Baxter, Betty Baxter's nephew, the son of her husband's second older brother. Our families had lots of contact from the time I was born (there is a picture of Betty holding me as a new born infant in the Photos section of this webpage) until about the time I finished college, got married, and we all moved to different corners of the country out of easy visiting range.

My Aunt Betty's eldest son is just about a year younger than me and we spent a lot of time together while growing up. For a year or two we lived next door to each other. Rick and I would spend the whole day together playing - which is probably why I consider him almost like the brother I never had. Until our high school years we lived in the same town (Rockford, Illinois) most of the time. And we often spent a night or a weekend staying at the other's house. During those summers when we didn't live near each other, either he would come to the farm where I lived and spend a week or so with me, or I would go back to the city to spend a week or two with him and his family.

I have so many good memories of Aunt Betty making me feel right at home whenever I was visiting over the years. Their's was a big family (three brothers and three sisters) while I was an only child until I was in first grade and only had one sister. And it always seemed like I just fit right in along with all of the others ... I just had to remember at family meals to fill my plate up on the first passing of the bowls because there would not be any second helpings left for later!

I recall being at their home in Grandma Baxter's basement (when they lived next door to us) and I had supper there with them. Aunt Betty made what she called "goulash" (short fat elbow noodles in a seasoned tomato sauce with ground beef). I went home and told my Mom that Aunt Betty was the world's best cook - and so my Mom got her recipe which became one of our regular family supper dishes.

Before I ever started school Betty and R.V. were born again at the Pentecostal Church on Kilburn Avenue in Rockford where Rev. Kelsie Haggard was pastor. R.V. was miraculously immediately delivered from smoking cigarettes when he rose from the alter. Almost immediately they began singing specials during church services. I remember thinking her voice was so lovely! I think "Whispering Hope" was one of their songs then and it was later recorded on the first Baxter Family album.

I cannot recall where I slept when I went to visit, but I guess with six children one more is no big deal! I just know that I always felt right at home and just as welcome as if I belonged there full time. Aunt Betty had a way of doing that.

I credit Aunt Betty for enabling me to accept and give friendly hugs. I was an awkward teenage boy from a outwardly emotionally restrained family who went stiff whenever someone tried to give me a hug. But Aunt Betty and her family were demonstratively affectionate and whenever anyone came up to her she insisted on wrapping them in her arms and giving them a great big loving hug ... there was just no way to avoid it! So gradually I relaxed and over a period of many years I learned how to receive and give affectionate hugs. And I am so glad that I did so that I could lovingly hug my Dad before he was taken from us a couple of years ago.

And I am so glad that I was able to visit with Aunt Betty last summer ... for the first time in well over twenty years ... and share a hug with her. She loved her family; and she loved the Lord. I only wish I could have had more years closer to her to have learn more about how to live a better life.

I am better for having Aunt Betty as part of my life. I cherish my memories of her.

Learn more about Betty Baxter at

Photographs

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Share Your Remembrances of Betty Baxter

Your can submit your personal remembrance to Betty Baxter through the online form below. To assure that nothing unsuitable is posted online all submissions will be moderated before appearing online in the Remembrances section of this webpage. Your email address will only be used to contact you, if necessary, regarding this process - it will not be shared with any other party nor used for any other purpose.

You can submit your remembrances of Betty Baxter by just filling in the form below:

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Musical Notes    Obituary    Remembrances    Photos    Share Your Remembrances

Watch a video including Betty Baxter in 1969.

Enjoy all of the Baxter Family albums now available online.

You can also choose from any of these vintage Baxter Family albums:

* For those of you who are familiar with these recordings we apologize for the ending of Whispering Hope which we were forced to cut short due to a major defect in the copy of this record which we were using ... everyone else will probably never notice the change we had to make.

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