Curtis Eugene Bauer

If you have lived in Crawford County and the surrounding areas for long, more than likely you knew Curt Bauer. Not because he was a public figure, but by him being a hard-working business man, husband, and father, with a kind heart.

Curt was the son of Ken and Lu Bauer, who moved from Council Bluffs to Denison when Curt and his sister Sue were small. You may remember the Dairy Treat south of town, owned and operated by the Bauer's. Curt remembered Sue and him playing there while their parents worked into the night. Sue and Curt would sleep on the shelves in the back room.

At a young age, Curt acquired a liking for fast cars. His mother Lu would often drop him off at the Crawford County Speedway on race night. Curt loved races of any kind. The same group of guys would sit together for years on Friday nights in the same area as recently as last race season.

As a teen, Curt had a couple muscle cars; a bright red Ford Fairlane and a candy apple red 69 Chevelle SS. He would cruise the loop on Thursday nights and many other nights on a dollar's worth a gas. Curt played keyboard in a band called The Bitter Ends, with his classmates Bill Dieber, Bill Davis, Craig Stephen, and Carl McGuire. Lu would take the band to as far away as Sioux City on gigs.

Curt was a gifted runner. He participated at the Floyd Page relays and state meets, and held the school record for the 2 miles for over ten years. Early in his junior year at Denison High School he met his wife, Kathy when they were both 17 and shared their first dance together at Cronk's, dancing to the Brass Tacs playing, " Midnight Confessions, " by the Grass Roots. They were together ever since.

Upon graduation in 1970, Curt went to college at Maryville, Missouri for 2 years. He and Kathy married in the Spring of 1972. Shortly after that time, Curt got a draft notice and was the last person to be drafted from Crawford County during the Vietnam war era. Enlisting in the Army, Curt was a Personnel Specialist, stationed in Pirmasens, Germany, where he was joined by Kathy and their daughter Casey. The Bauer's loved the German people. They became close to families, attending barbeques and, Christmas', and birthday parties. Casey played with the children there and learned to speak German at an early age. Curt's parents and brother, Bill, visited them there and the family traveled all over Europe for 30 days.

After serving there for over 2 years. Curt was then stationed in Columbia, South Carolina for 6 months. During that time, Curt got the opportunity to see his favorite driver, Richard Petty, at NASCAR races in Rockingham, North Carolina and Darlington, South Carolina.

In late 1975, Curt left the Army ranking E7. After being honorably discharged from the Army, Curt, Kathy, and Casey moved back to Denison. In 1980, their son Tim was born. In the early 80's Curt developed a love for riding dirt bikes and he became a member of the Hill Blazers M/C club until his death. Curt truly loved his Hill Blazer family and rarely missed a chance to participate in the club’s yearly events and get-togethers.

Curt loved to work on the home Kathy and he lived in for the past 30 years. Curt and Tim added a deck and porch on together and turned what was once a family room into the kitchen. Curt did everything himself, from laying wood floors, hanging cabinets, even running the gas lines, wiring, and water lines. He loved doing things himself and was always there to help others on projects over the years.

Curt joined his dad, Ken, working at Lindsay Soft Water and Ken's Sporting Goods on South Main, until Ken's death in April 1987. Curt continued to operate the business and added Deep Rock Bottled Water. With the expansion of the business, Curt Bauer Eco Water Systems & Deep Rock Bottled Water, moved to 7th Ave South. Tim often worked with Curt riding along on route deliveries covering several counties. Curt made friends and formed close relationships with his customers and their families, something he very much missed when he retired the bottled water business. Curt sold the business and retired in early June of 2020. Two weeks later, the day after Father's Day, Curt suffered a stroke and never returned home.

Curt passed away Wednesday, December 23, 2020 at the Manning Regional Health Care Center attaining the age of sixty-eight years, eight months and sixteen days. He was preceded in death by his father, Kenneth Bauer.

He is survived by his loving wife, Kathy Bauer of Denison; daughter, Casey and her husband Matt Anderson of Rosalie, Nebraska; son, Tim Bauer of West Des Moines, Iowa; three grandchildren, Jessa, Tayla and Keagan mother, Lu Hennessey of Johnston, Iowa; sister, Susan and her husband Dean Hulsebus of Dallas Center, Iowa; brother, Bill Bauer and his wife Sharon of West Des Moines; other relatives and many friends.

Celebration of Life will be held in the Spring.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the family.