Karl Philip Baetcke died peacefully at home on January 28, 2025 in Burke, Virginia. He leaves behind his wife of 59 years, Priscilla McKnight Baetcke, daughter, Anna (John) Luehmann and their two sons Noah and Philip of Bexley, OH; Karl Berndt (Sharon) Baetcke and their two daughters, Leah and Claire of Centreville, VA; Philip (Marcie) Baetcke and their son, Ryan of Reston, VA and Virginia (Greg) Turner and their daughter, Natalie of Herndon, VA.

Karl was born in Detroit, Michigan on August 20, 1936, to Berndt Gustav and Dorothy Mapel Baetcke, the second of three children. Both his brother, Gustav Berndt 

Baetcke, and his sister, Dorothy Ann Baetcke, predeceased him. Moving from one location to another was part of the everyday life of the son of a career Army officer. Midwest, deep South and twice in Virginia, when his father was assigned positions at the Pentagon and later at Fort Monroe in Norfolk, were some of the places the family called home in the United States. There were two postings overseas, both in Germany which provided valuable opportunities for Karl with his family to explore and experience different cultures and parts of the world.

Throughout those early years Karl developed an interest in the outdoor world that eventually led to his choice of biology as his major in college. He graduated from Old Dominion University and eventually went on to the University of Texas at Austin, graduating with a PhD in Botany in 1965. He and Priscilla, a fellow Texas graduate student, were married in December of that year. In a three-year post doctorate at Brookhaven National Laboratory’s Biology Department in Upton, New York, he found the focus that would guide him throughout his career in the sciences; specifically, it was the study of substances thought to be detrimental to the environment and the organisms living in it, including humans. He continued to work in this area at Mississippi State University and at the National Center for Toxicological Research at Jefferson, AR. His final career move was to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Pesticides where he worked on pesticide testing models for industry in the Health and Human Effects Division. He ended his 20-year career as one of the Senior Science Advisors for the division.

Karl was a dedicated and committed family man who cherished family gatherings, whether vacationing at the beach or celebrating birthdays and holidays at home. Daily life in Arkansas where the family lived for many years with four children was full of activities for everyone. In the summer there were trips to Florida to visit family in Pensacola and Orlando and camping in the mountains. With the move to Northern Virginia in 1986 came many new opportunities for Karl and his family to explore, from mountains and ocean to universities and Washington, DC. Once retired, he with Priscilla enjoyed road trips to many wonderful, spectacular places in this country and overseas. Known in the family for his dry, funny one-liners, Karl was a much-loved patriarch who will be deeply missed.

A Celebration of Life will be held at The Church of the Good Shepherd, 9350 Braddock Road, Burke, VA 22015 on Saturday, February 22 at 11:00 AM with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Church of the Good Shepherd or a charity of your choosing.