William D. Baeth

William D. Baeth, 76, went to do a walkabout with his beloved dogs at his cabin in the sky on Thursday, June 15, 2023.

Bill was born on July 19, 1946, to William and Corrine (Wilkerson) Baeth in Libby, Montana.

He lived in Libby where he attended school, joined the Army Reserve for six years and worked at the lumber mill until age 56 when he moved to Spokane, Washington, to attend welding school.

He lived in Spokane for the last 20 years with his wife, close to their three daughters and families while dividing time between Spokane and the family cabin in the Yaak.

Bill was a talented artist, fisherman, hunter and accomplished carpenter where countless hours were spent picking out the most perfect pieces of lumber or paint colors.

He enjoyed the outdoors, especially at the cabin where he spent most of his time feeding his deer, sitting on the deck on the sun sipping on coffee in the morning until it switched to beer thirty. He also enjoyed rambling on the back roads enjoying his mountains looking for huckleberries or the perfect Christmas tree.

Bill leaves behind Joyce, his wife of 56 years; daughters Toni Atwood (Les), Tracy Gradin (Curt) and Megan Baeth; grandkids Emilie, Rhys and Conner; sisters Carla, Becky and Dianne; and grand dog Teddy.

We miss Bill’s sarcastic wit…mumbling while watching Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune and Gonzaga basketball (where he couch coached them to several wins). Playing any board or card game where he would make up his own rules then act appalled when called out for cheating.

In Bill’s words, “You wanna beer?” was his way of saying you are my friend and please join me.

If you would like to join us for a celebration of his life, where flannel shirts are required, it will be Monday, July 3 at the Baeth Family Cabin.