William Rhett Baker died peacefully on the morning of Sept. 24 while lying on the beach at Kamaole I Beach Park in Kihei, Hawaii. The cause of death was myocardial infarction. He was 61 and had been a resident of Wailuku, Hawaii for 21 years.

Rhett, also known as River Freedom, was born July 26, 1960 in Louisville, Ky. to the late Lieutenant Colonel (Ret) William and Dr. Bettye Foster Baker. He attended Williams College for two years and graduated from Rutgers College with a bachelor’s degree in English and biology.

He was self-employed as a band promoter, writer, musician and shaman. He had devoted four years to the care of his late father at Gettysburg, Pa., before returning to his home in Maui.

Rhett is survived by his mother, Dr. Bettye F. Baker of Gettysburg, Pa. and Oak Bluffs; his sister, Janet L. Baker, Esq.; a host of family and friends; and the Puonne Hale Alii community.

Services will be held at the Unitarian Universalists Church of Gettysburg when it is open for in-person services. Interment will be facilitated by New England Burials at Sea with Capt. Fred White aboard the Monomoy, in Vineyard waters during a sunset in August 2022.