Austin Baker IV, the son of Austin and Sherrie Baker of Denton, died after complications from surgery on January 6, 2009. He was 26 years old. He leaves behind two younger brothers, Aaron and Abel. At the time of his death he was a manager at his family’s business in Fort Worth and living in a home he had recently bought in Denton.

Some of you knew Austin because he coached the youngest players on the wheelchair basketball team. Some of you were his teammates when he played for the Jr. Texans. He was a fiercely competitive athlete who loved the game of basketball, almost as much as he loved to play golf. Some of you were his campers when he volunteered as a counselor at Camp TLC, a camp he had attended for many summers as a boy. Many of you called him friend, as he stayed in touch with other young adults with SB through the adult network and the spring adult retreat weekend at Camp Summit. All who knew him will remember him for his remarkable smile, and his joy for life.

I knew him first as a camper, when he attended one of our first summer Camp TLC’s. He was about 12 when I met him. We were at camp, and his cabin cooked out at the Fishing Dock.  The "same age" girl cabin had cooked out at the Hammocks, a LONG trek.  A "pow wow" together after dinner was planned.  His cabin mates, most of whom were in chairs or faster walkers, were way ahead of me and Austin.  Austin kept walking, hearing the kids in the distance already singing around the fire.  I was concerned Austin would miss everything by the time we got there!  He just kept plodding on, as dusk settled into night.  He stopped and rested when he needed to, never complaining about the distance or the effort.  When he rested, he looked out over the lake, enjoying the fine evening and the fireflies, and said:  "Isn't this beautiful!"  I knew then that I loved this young man, and his spirit.  He knew how to live in the moment, a lesson I try to remember.

What a joy to have known Austin – we will miss him.

-Joanne Hurtekant