Billy Baldwin

Billy Baldwin, 75, of Laurel, died peacefully in his sleep at the Billings Clinic, Sunday May 15, 2011 following a lengthy illness. He was born to William and Stella Baldwin in New Castle, Wyoming August 3, 1935. Billy's adventures and jobs took him all over the United States and parts of the Middle East. When he was a sophmore in high school, he wrote a letter to the CEO of an international oil firm asking for a job. He was hired and at the age of 16 traveled to Saudi Arabia to work the oil fields.Later, he enlisted in the United States Navy, sailing to exotic ports throughout the Pacific until his discharge. He worked several different jobs including driving big rigs and worked 20 years at Cenex Harvest States refinery in Laurel. He had a life-long interest in aviation and earned his pilot's license. Billy refered to hiself as Billy Nine-toes as he lost his little toe due to poor circulation. The license plate on his belved European micro-van, all displayed the moniker "Nine Toes".He continually cooked up schemes to stimulate his mind, feed his interests and amuse his friends. In his early 70's, Billy decided to build a helicopter from a kit ordered on-line. UPS delivered a crate the size of a boxcar, and while the helicopter remains unassembled, Billy got a lot of mileage talking about the project... how he would construct the bird... and where it would fly him. He was a social creature and collected friends who crossed all demographics; young and old, rich and poor, blacksmith and lawyer-it did not matter. What mattered was sitting at the kitchen table with people he loved, a shot or two of good whiskey, and a wealth of shared stories. A celebration of Billy's life will take place at 4:00PM Wed May 18, 2011 at Sid's Place in Laurel.

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