Marissa R. Bauer, 39, Zimmerman
January 17, 1987 - July 5, 2026
Marissa Bauer, 39, of Zimmerman, Minnesota, passed away peacefully on July 5, 2026, at her home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, July 13, 2026, at 11:00 AM at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Elk River. Fr. Mark Innocenti will officiate. Visitation will be held Sunday, July 12, 2026, from 5:00-7:30 PM at the church. A time for sharing memories about Marissa will be held at 7:00 PM. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the Mass on Monday at the church. Arrangements have been entrusted to Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home in Princeton.
Marissa was born to Bob and Donna (Morrison) Clarin on January 17, 1987, in Coon Rapids. She grew up in Princeton and graduated from Princeton High School in 2005. During high school, she served as student council president, participated in band and the swim team, was class president, and served on the prom committee.
Following graduation, Marissa attended North Dakota State University, where she earned her Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 2011. During her time at NDSU, she served as president of the local College Republicans chapter and was actively involved in the North Dakota Republican Party. She worked as a pharmacist at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks from 2011 to 2018.
On July 12, 2014, Marissa married the love of her life, Spencer Bauer, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Grand Forks. They lived in North Dakota for eight years before moving back to Minnesota, where they built their home and welcomed their two boys to their family.
In 2015, she joined SafetyFirst Playgrounds, becoming president in 2019 and owner from 2020 to 2024, earning the Life Time Achievement Award from MASMS in 2024. She loved her career and especially the people she met along the way. Her work reflected the excellence, diligence, and integrity with which she lived her life.
More than any title she held, Marissa treasured being a wife and mother. She was intentional about raising her boys to become hardworking men who love and follow Jesus. She delighted in teaching them about God’s Word, making Saturday morning waffles, cooking meals for her family, antiquing, reading her Bible, and continually growing in her knowledge and love of Christ.
For three and a half years, Marissa walked through difficult trials with remarkable grace and resilience, allowing every hardship to deepen her relationship with Jesus until He became her everything. Time and again, she surrendered every part of her life into His hands-her health, her career, her hopes and dreams, and ultimately even her husband and precious boys. Through every joy and every sorrow, she remained faithful and obedient to whatever God asked of her.
Marissa’s greatest testimony was not the trials she endured, but the Savior she loved. God faithfully used every season of her life to conform her more into the image of Christ. While those who loved her grieve deeply, they do not grieve without hope. Marissa has been welcomed into the presence of the Lord she longed to know more each day, where faith has become sight, suffering has given way to perfect joy, and she now hears the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Marissa is survived by her husband, Spencer; sons, Remington and Stihl; parents, Bob and Donna Clarin; sisters, Micayla Vanic (Ian) and Mariah Bot (Charles); grandmothers, Lorraine Clarin and Joyce Morrison; mother-in-law, Patty Rutherford (Robert); father-in-law, Steven Bauer (Julie); sister-in-law, Hannah Pommerer; and many nieces, nephews, and relatives.
She was preceded in death by her grandfathers, Leon Clarin and Vincent Morrison; uncle, Leon Clarin (Pete); and several dear friends with whom she shared a special bond forged through life’s hardship.
Her deepest desire was that others would know Jesus, go to church, read their Bibles regularly, and let their lives point to Him.
One of Marissa’s signatures was her bright smile and her love of dressing beautifully. In her honor, you are invited to wear bright colors or attire that helps you celebrate her life.
Flowers may be sent to St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Elk River.
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