A Celebration of Life Service for Harold Bauer, age 94, of Windom, will be held Saturday, May 4th at 10:30 a.m. at the First Baptist Church in Windom with Pastors Marlin Morhrman and Herms Banico officiating. Military honors will be provided by American Legion Post #206 of Windom. The burial will be at Memory Gardens Cemetery in Windom.

A time of visitation and gathering will be held at LaCanne Family Celebration of Life Center in Windom on Friday, May 3rd from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Visitation will continue on Saturday, May 4th for one hour prior to the service, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., at the First Baptist Church in Windom.

Harold William Bauer was born on August 5, 1929, in Ida Grove, Iowa to Ferdinand & Clara (Clausen) Bauer. He was the sixth of seven children and grew up on a farm in Ida Grove County, Iowa. In 1947, his parents bought a farm south of Lakefield, Minnesota near Sioux Valley. He attended and graduated from Sioux Valley High School in 1948, where he met his wife, Marlyce. During his Senior year in high school, Harold enlisted in the Army, and two weeks after graduation he was called to duty. He reported to Fort Knox, Kentucky for Basic Training for six weeks. He was then ordered for additional training for another nine weeks. He asked to be stationed in Germany as he was very fluent in the German language, but was told, "we have other orders for you." He took several tests and was then assigned to New Jersey and New York. Being assigned with seven others, the squad of eight continued with additional training, and Harold was the leader of the squad.

The Korean conflict was just beginning while in this training. The following was written by Harold which tells in his words the story of his experience which changed his life, "In only a few days I, along with my squad and other soldiers, were shipped out. We landed in Pusan (now called Busan) South Korea under sniper fire as we disembarked from the ship. We were now in combat. United States Army was to push the enemy back. We moved along the shores of South Korea. We were directed to go to China's shore moving North. It was so cold at 35 degrees with 4 feet of snow to go through. We were directed to go South into the crowd of the enemy. We prayed to God for direction. For 10 days we were behind enemy lines. We begged for food in villages. We received rice balls once. The Army Food mess tent was burned out. We found gallon cans full of cheese - we used bayonet to cut open the cans. This was good for a couple of days. As we continued to try to find our way back, we finally could see an American flag, but we had the enemy line to go through. It was November 26, 1950. There were enemy guns and artillery being fired at us. We were unable to move. One on my squad was killed. I was hit with shrapnel. The United States Army fought to get us free and able to join them. I got to an Aid Station – they did what they could for me. I was then transferred to an Army Hospital where they did a lot of work on me to remove pieces of shrapnel, and was then shipped to a hospital at Fort Lewis, Washington. I don't remember how long I was there. I was then released to Madigan General Hospital in Seattle, Washington. I had three operations on my left leg. I had been in combat 15 months. After completing various assignments, I was then honorably discharged from the Army as Sargent First Class – Special Forces on May 2, 1952." Harold received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star for his service.

Harold returned home and married his high school sweetheart, Marlyce (Jones) Bauer, on June 22, 1952, at the First Baptist Church in Worthington, Minnesota. They lived in Trimont, MN and then moved to Worthington, MN. In 1953, he was hired by the Greeley Natural Gas Company. He worked hard and was soon transferred to the Lakefield office. In 1960, he was promoted as Manager of Greeley Natural Gas Company and transferred to Windom where he remained the manager until retirement. After retirement he worked with Northern Natural Gas Company for several years.

Harold was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Harold and Marlyce were blessed with four children, Jerry, Betty Lou, Ken, and Kathy. Marlyce passed away in October 2011. Harold always professed his faith in the Lord and knew it was only by God's grace that he returned from active Army duty, as he knew the Lord had work for him to do. He was always willing to serve the Lord in any way. Harold was a member of the First Baptist Church in Windom. He served as a Deacon, Trustee, Sunday School Superintendent and teacher, Jr. and Sr. High Youth Group Leader, Church Treasurer, also served on many other various committees.

He was also active in his community. He was a Volunteer Fireman in Lakefield, served on the Windom Utilities Commission, Windom Industrial Development Committee, Windom Hospital Board and was on the committee that designed and built the Medical Clinic that was attached to the Hospital, and was also instrumental in getting doctors to come to Windom, Kiwanis Club, the Bald Eagles Service Club, and he also received the Mayor's Medal of Honor for community service.

In 2015, Darrin Dick, grandson, along with other family members accompanied Harold to Washington, DC. to film a documentary of his experience in the Korean War and visit the Korean War Memorial and other monuments in the Washington, D.C. area. While at the Korean War Memorial during the filming, a touring group of Korean people were at the Korean memorial. Harold pointed to his picture on the wall, and the Korean people expressed much gratitude to him for his service in assisting to secure their country. In 2019, Harold, accompanied by his son, Jerry, went on the Honor Flight to Washington, DC with other veterans.

In July of 2017, Harold asked Ede Willard to accompany him for supper. She nervously accepted. They had a wonderful evening and continued to enjoy each other's company. They decided that they wanted to be married. On December 9, 2017, they were married at the Cornerstone Church in Mt. Lake. They enjoyed a trip to Florida, Eastern Minnesota, and other places they enjoyed visiting. They especially enjoyed getting together with friends and family for a good cup of coffee and good conversation.

Harold passed away on April 17th at the age of 94 years. He was preceded in death by his wife of 59 years, Marlyce; daughter, Kathryn; parents, brothers, and sisters; and extended family and friends.

Left to cherish his memory is his second wife, Ede; children, Jerry (Sharon) Bauer of Windom, Betty Lou (Dallas) Smith of Windom, Ken (Marcia) Bauer of Brownton, MN, son-in-law, Dennis Dick of Omaha, NE; grandchildren, Lori (Steve) Trumbauer of Fargo, ND, Leah (Aaron) Widmark of New Ulm, MN, Drew (Lindsey) Smith of Cincinnati, OH, Anna Hochstein of Windom, Sondra (Corey) O'Day of Ellsworth, WI, Tina (Mitch) Stuewe of Brownton, MN, Clayton (Jay Jay) Bauer and Spencer Bauer of Glencoe, MN, Darrin (Maryclayre) Dick and Derrick (Haley) Dick of Myrtle Beach, SC, Kelsey (Justin) Wilmert of Plattsmouth, NE, and Kendra Dick of Omaha, NE; twenty-seven great-grandchildren; stepchildren, Rebecca (Steve) Robbins of Blue Earth, MN, Ron (Leslie) Willard of Jeffers, MN, Annette Wilson of St. Louis, MO, Steve (Robyn) Willard of Windom; eleven step grandchildren; and seven step great-grandchildren.

Blessed be the memory of Harold William Bauer