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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Wednesday, July 30, 2008 Friends of wildlife activist gather to salute her memory By Kristi O'Harran, Herald Columnist Kaye Baxter, activist at Sarvey Wildlife Center in Arlington, loved a series of fantasy books by Mercedes Lackey. No doubt Baxter related to Diana Tregarde, a character in Lackey's "Burning Water," who lived the same creed: "Leave the world better than you found it. Love, freedom and the chance to do some good -- they're the things worth living and dying for." Baxter left the world in a better place through her work rehabilitating animals so they could return to the wild. "She is a saint," said Jeff Guidry. "Without Kaye, tens of thousands of our wild brothers and sisters would have perished." Baxter taught Guidry how to handle animals: raptors, raccoons, whatever. They did school programs, about protecting and preserving wildlife, all around the Puget Sound area. "Kaye has given all of us (animals and humans) a very special gift that we would never have had without her," Guidry said. "It's almost too much to think about, but we will carry on and keep Sarvey going for her." Baxter was ravaged by lung cancer and died July 4 at age 69. A celebration of her life is planned for 1 p.m. Sunday at River Meadows Park, 20416 Jordan Road, Arlington. Bring food for a potluck, beverages and blankets. Oh, the stories they will tell. Will Miller from Gold Bar, whom Baxter called her guardian angel, often took her to the grocery store. "Shopping with her was a blast," Miller said. "She was an old lady, she had her opinion, and she wasn't afraid to tell people about it. If a kid's pants were too low, she'd let him know." And those electric carts they have at the store, he said, she drove them like a mad lady. "I still have bruises on my heels from her running me over. When I was single, she would point out the cute girls in the store and try and get me to talk to them." She cared about Miller like a son, he said. "She cared about the world like a mother. The animals at the center were her kids as well." I was honored to write about Baxter's final weeks. It was difficult to revisit the tiny slip of a woman who I remembered as a vital, free spirit. Years ago, I learned how to feed a baby squirrel with a syringe at Sarvey Wildlife Center. But I found that Baxter hadn't lost an ounce of zip. She was silly, gracious, full of old stories and candid about her pending death. She saved her biggest smile for the moment when she heard eagles "talking" across the driveway. All were welcome at Baxter's door, said Sarvey supporter Dorthy Ottaway, who shared a poem she wrote about her friend. "No injury too great, no creature too small, she cared for and loved us all," Ottaway said. "Remember her words, live and lead by her example, and one day you will find she never left -- she was with us all the while." I can picture the lovefest Sunday in Arlington. Perhaps someone will mention words from author Mercedes Lackey. "Wind to thy wings." Columnist Kristi O'Harran: 425-339-3451 or oharran@heraldnet.com

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