WARREN — Gail Haviland Baxter, 79, passed peacefully, surrounded by the love of her family, at Windward Gardens, Monday, August 30, 2021.

Born in Medford, Massachusetts, April 20, 1942, she was the oldest daughter of George and Ruth Noble Haviland.

On April 21, 1962, Gail married John Baxter, Jr., in Medford. Gail worked as a telephone operator there, which is how she and John had met. Together they raised their family in various lighthouses, following John’s Coast Guard assignments. Eventually they settled down in Warren, Maine.

For many years, Gail worked for the telephone company in Boston, Massachusetts. When her children were born, she dedicated herself to being a full-time mother. She returned to the work force later in life, working at Pen Bay Hospital. She began as a switchboard operator and later moved on to the Special Care Unit Clerk. Throughout her life, she also served on the Warren Ambulance.

Predeceased by her loving husband, John, in 2020; Gail is survived by her sister, Janet and her husband Vod; her daughters, Lori Gaunder and her husband Robb of Florida, Kim Wesley and her husband Isaac of Oklahoma; and her sons, John Baxter of Maine, and Stephen Baxter and his wife Debra of South Carolina.

Gail’s family has chosen to remember her life privately. In lieu of flowers, her family asks you consider donations in her name to the Maine Lighthouse Museum, 1 Park Drive, Rockland, ME 04841.

To share a memory or condolence with Gail’s family, please visit their Book of Memories at www.bchfh.com. Arrangements are in the care of Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home, 110 Limerock Street, Rockland.