Mary E. Bauer, 73, Sauk Rapids

December 4, 1947 - December 3, 2021

Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, December 9, 2021 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Sauk Rapids for Mary E. Bauer who passed away at the St. Cloud Hospital on Friday after a battle with Leukemia. Rev. Thomas Knoblach will officiate and burial will be at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery near Little Falls at a later date. Friends and relatives may visit from 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 8, 2021 at Williams Dingmann Family Funeral Home in Sauk Rapids and also one hour prior to mass at the church on Thursday.

Mary was born on December 4, 1947 in Breckenridge, MN to Howard Jerome and Helen Gertrude (Tichlofen) Dawson. She graduated from Campbell High School in 1965 and from there she entered the Fergus Falls Practical Nursing Program. She married Gary Bauer on August 17, 1974. Together they raised four boys. Mary continued her nursing career at the St. Cloud Hospital for 15 years and then Country Manor Nursing Home in Sartell. She became an active member of the Sauk Rapids VFW Post 6992 Auxiliary. Mary was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and friend. She loved to volunteer and be social in her community, especially with her sorority sisters of Beta Sigma Phi. Mary and Gary loved to winter in Lake Havasu City, AZ and spent the 4th of July up north on Woman Lake, where it was easy to enjoy life. Mary loved reading, scrapbooking, making jewelry and was very organized. She was kind, caring, always putting others first, a great mom and grandmother. She was most proud of her family and she would do anything for them. She loved attending her granddaughter’s sporting events.

Survivors include her husband, Gary of Sauk Rapids; sons, Eric (Melissa) of St. Cloud, Chad of Minneapolis, Adam (Jennifer) of Fridley and Luke of Sauk Rapids; granddaughter, Katelyn; and sisters, JoAnn Stein of Shawano, WI and Kathy Schaefer of Fargo, ND. She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers in law, Earl Stein and Jim Schaefer; and sisters in law, Sharon Robbins and Dolores Bautch.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to either: Leukemia & Lymphoma Society https://www.lls.org/ or the Poor Clares of Sauk Rapids https://poorclares.stcdio.org/