Stephen "Steve" Baxter

Stephen “Steve” Baxter, a man larger than life itself, passed away on October 15, 2020. Born in Rockford, Illinois on February 17, 1960 son to Merritt and Geraldine (O’Bryan) Baxter. Following in his father’s footsteps, Steve became a truck driver for ABF, and a member of Teamsters Local 325 Union and worked for them for 35 years, absolutely loving the job. If he wasn’t driving his truck, he enjoyed riding on his Harley. Steve loved sports, an avid fan of the Bears and the Cubs, but he also loved the idea of competition. No board game was easy, he was fierce about making sure that he won, and made sure you knew when he did. It was quoted, “even if it was something as simple as a knitting contest, he would lie, cheat and steal in order to win it.” Steve was not a stranger to many; he would make a friend out of a stranger whenever he could. Once you were his friend, you were treated as family. He also strongly loved his family. Making a point of going to the past 47 family reunions in all different states. One of his favorite memories was this past family reunion when he was able to take his three grandchildren that he adored on a trip to the family reunion as well as other states along the way. He was a proud member of the SM&SF Club, where he enjoyed making a lot of memories with his many friends, as well as Silver Hill Pentecostal Church for a number of years.
Steve will be missed by those who loved him most, his significant other of 15 years, Tamie Uding; his sons Stephen “Stevie” (Jennie) Baxter and Sheldon Baxter; his three grandchildren Alyssa, Andrew and Sheldon Baxter; His siblings Terry (Juanita) Baxter and Diann (Mark) Baxter; brother-in-law Robert Hawks and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. He was predeceased in death by his parents; his siblings Janet (Dennis) Grottke, Barbara Hawks and Kirk Baxter.
A Funeral Service for Steve will take place on Friday, October 23, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. at Silver Hill Pentecostal Church, 4401 20th St, Rockford, IL 61109. Visitation will take place the day before, Thursday, October 22, 2020 from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. also at the church. Burial will take place at Willwood Burial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the family. To send online condolences, please visit www.fitzgeraldfh.com