Obituary of Theodore LeRoy Baisden III

Theodore "Ted" L. Baisden III, 84, passed away July 13, 2017 at his home in Vancouver, WA. He was born March 17, 1933 in Eugene, OR to Ted "Bo" Baisden and Lois (Boyd) Baisden.
Ted met the love of his life, Sharon, at Parks Air Force Base, where they both served in the United States Air Force. They were married July 28, 1956 at the First United Methodist Church in Vancouver, WA and enjoyed 60 years of marriage together.
Ted enjoyed his time serving his country, his duty stations included; Dublin, CA, Waco, TX, Omaha, NE, Tokyo, Japan, Roswell, NM, Burns Flat, OK, and finally Thailand. During his time in the service, Ted excelled at coaching and participating in sports and he was an accomplished Marksman. He was part of the 6th Combat Defense Squadron carbine and pistol team that swept the shooting competition at the 15th Air Force and SAC championships. Ted spent the entirety of his Air Force Career in the Air Police field. While stationed at Clinton Sherman Air Force Base, he was assigned to the 70th Security Police Squadron responsible for security of the Sixth Bombardment Squadron and 902nd Air Refueling Squadron, which included B-52s and KC-135 tankers. He had a special affinity for working with the Sentry Dogs assigned to the squadron. During his last year of service, Ted served overseas in Thailand with the Air Force Civic Action Team which he led. He helped build water systems, bridges, and a road in an effort to raise the standard of living of the Thai people. He returned stateside and retired in 1971.
After his career in the Air Force, Ted enjoyed a career in the insurance field, served as president of the Vancouver Lions Club, as well as President of the Vancouver-Clark County Association of Life Underwriters. He was a lifelong member of the NRA. Ted and Sharon then served as lay ministers for approximately 20 years at Ft. Vancouver Convalescent Center responding to the spiritual needs of the residents including residents in the Alzheimer's unit and the assisted living center. He devoted much of his spare time to family and friends, along with his passion for his sailboat, affectionately named "SNUG".
Ted is survived by his wife of 60 years, Sharon (Steinfeldt) Baisden; brother, Gary Baisden of Shasta, CA; sister, Tanya Aquirre-Moran of San Diego, CA; sons, Marc Baisden (Trish) of Fairbanks, AK and Darren Baisden (Dana) of Gresham, OR; grandchildren, Aaron, Shelby, Ryan, Sean, Scott and Aleena; and one great-grandchild, Eleanor Baisden, with another on the way.
There will be a service with Military Honors at 1:30 p.m., Thurs., August 3rd at Willamette National Cemetery, followed by a gathering of family and friends at his home.
Donations can be made in memory of Ted to the OHSU Parkinson Center and Movement Disorder Program.