John A. Bauer

John A. Bauer, 87, of Mason City, died Monday, July 15, 2013, at the Good Shepherd Health Center. A funeral mass will be 10:30 A.M. on Friday, July 19, 2013, at Epiphany Parish - Holy Family Catholic Church, 714 North Adams, with Rev. Neil Manternach officiating. Visitation will be from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, with a scriptural wake service at 6:30 PM followed by a Rosary Service, on Thursday (July 18, 2013) at Major Erickson Funeral Home, 111 N. Pennsylvania Avenue. Interment will be at Memorial Park Cemetery. Memorials may be directed to the John Bauer memorial fund, in care of the family. John was born July 17, 1925, in Stockholm, WI, the son of Rudolph and Clara (Uhlenhake) Bauer. He attended school in Wisconsin. John served his country in the U.S. Army during WWII before his honorable discharge in 1945. John was a POW and wrote a book about his experience. He was very proud of this book. On June 8, 1946, John married Mildred M. Chodur at the St. Boniface Church in Garner, IA. Farming was a big part of John’s life. He owned/operated Bauer Implement as an International Harvester Dealership, which was a family owned business in Wesley IA for over 75 years. Family was very important to John. He loved spending time together - especially with his grandchildren. John enjoyed collecting farm memorabilia (toy tractors etc…), visiting with fellow farmers, traveling, casino trips, watching sports on TV, feeding the wildlife in his backyard and watching nature while relaxing on his patio. He also enjoyed golfing and was thrilled when he got a hole-in-one at the Wesley Country Club (hole #3). John was a member of Holy Family Catholic Church in Mason City and a past member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Wesley, IA. He was also a member of the VFW. John loved to have a good laugh and became known as a “jokester”. He will be deeply missed. John Bauer is survived by his 8 children; Pamela Rayhons, Deb Bauer, Renee (Kevin) Hendrickson, Jeff (Nancy) Bauer, Jason Bauer, Jarrett Bauer, Sharon “Sherrie” Bauer, and Jovian “Jo” Bauer; his grandchildren: Matt Bauer and fiancee: Cindy Drinkwine, Beth (James) Tindell, Jacob (Kate) Mertz, Jason (Dena) Mertz, Adam Mertz, Michelle (Juan) Cangas, Bradley Rayhons, Kevin Rayhons, Crystal Bauer, Weston Woltjer, Nathan Ruppelt; step grandchildren: Sarah (Nick) Ortmeier, Rachel (Jesse) Huston, Jason Hendrickson and Kayla Hendrickson; great grandchildren: Andrea, Karina, Isaac, Rowen, Nyles, Connor, Ashlee, Gavin, Landon, Cody and Jase; siblings: Bill (Sally) Bauer, Ruth Mary Meyer, Clara Lu Wellik, and Marlene (Tom) Liermann; brothers and sisters in-law: Gerry Hart, Kenneth (Shirley) Chodur, and Irene (Dick) King. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his wife: Mildred Bauer in 2011; his parents; great granddaughter: Brittany Bauer; siblings: Bernadette Pfeffer and Ralph Bauer; brothers and sisters in-law: James Chodur, Betty Kaduce, Linda Mayo, Donald Chodur, Ilene Bailey, Ralph Chodur, Delores Norcross, and Odella Broome ; and his mother and father in-law: Andrew and Alice (Hanson) Chodur. The family would like to thank the staff at Good Shepherd Health Center for the wonderful care they provided.

Cemetery:
Interment will be at Memorial Park Cemetery

Memorials may be directed to the John Bauer memorial fund, in care of the family.

Visitation:
Visitation will be from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, with a scriptural wake service at 6:30 PM followed by a Rosary Service, on Thursday (July 18, 2013) at Major Erickson Funeral Home

Service:
A funeral mass will be 10:30 A.M. on Friday, July 19, 2013, at Epiphany Parish - Holy Family Catholic Church