Gregory Lawrence Bauer

Gregory Lawrence Bauer (67) passed away unexpectedly at home due to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

 Gregory was born on January 22, 1957 in Neenah, Wisconsin to Edward Henry Bauer and Helen Elizabeth Phillips Bauer. He joined a family with two older sisters, Chris and Donna, and older brother, Tom. Seven years later, his brother Ron joined their family. When Greg was about three years old, his family moved to Phoenix, Arizona where he spent his childhood and teenage years. He grew up in the Catholic faith, and went to a Catholic grade school, Saint Thomas the Apostle. He attended Camelback High School in Phoenix, Arizona.

 During his growing up years, he spent many memorable vacations at Oak Creek Canyon (Arizona) and the Grand Canyon. He enjoyed the beauties of the natural world throughout his life. He was particularly fond of sunsets, deserts, and cactus.

 Greg took an early interest in airplanes which continued throughout his life. He went on his first airplane ride around six years old with his Uncle Jerry as the pilot. In his childhood and teenage years, Greg liked to build model airplanes. As a teen he joined the Experimental Aircraft Association and attended one of their annual fly-ins in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

 At 24 years old, Greg was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Several years later he moved to Utah where he met Maren Christensen. They married on December 14, 1996 in the Provo, Utah Temple. They were soon blessed with two children, Josh and Elise, and began their joint adventure of raising a family.

 Greg was creative and artistic. He painted window displays in stores and made homemade calligraphy cards. In later years he expressed his creativity through cooking. His family enjoyed sometimes atypical, but usually delicious, food combinations. He rarely made the same meal twice without trying some new ingredient or adjustment. He enjoyed plating his creations in artistic ways to add enjoyment to the meal. He sometimes surprised his wife and children with a special candlelit dinner as a way of expressing his love for them.

 Holidays and birthdays were especially meaningful to Greg. He liked to celebrate holidays and make them special. He liked putting vintage ornaments and lights on the Christmas tree, baking desserts, watching and lighting fireworks, and above all, giving thoughtful gifts.

 Greg never earned a lot of money, but he was resourceful and gifted at finding and fixing up the things that his family needed. He could fix bicycles, cars, sewing machines, instruments, electronics, and other items. He worked in many different ways over the years including: painting holiday window displays, being an auto mechanic, doing construction, and selling secondhand items such as antiques, books, instruments, and artwork. Greg built long-lasting friendships with some of his business associates.

 Greg enjoyed music deeply. He played music on the guitar, often his own compositions. He liked to play his guitar in parks and when visiting friends and neighbors. He spent his life in service to others, doing many thoughtful things such as delivering flowers or baked goods to friends and neighbors, giving birthday and Christmas gifts, and sharing freshly picked fruit. Starting in his youth and throughout his life he especially gravitated towards and enjoyed the presence of his elders.

 Greg cared for those who were less fortunate, particularly people without a home to shelter them from the elements. He packed small bags with warm gloves, toothbrushes, hygiene products, snacks, and other basics and carried some of these kits in his car in case he saw someone in need. He didn’t look away from their suffering, but instead tried his best to help them and show them respect as fellow human beings.

 Despite Greg’s personal struggles, he would remind his family to “press forward with a perfect brightness of hope.” He showed remarkable resilience and steadfastness despite many challenges that he experienced over his lifetime until his spirit was set free.

 Greg is survived by his wife, Maren, children: Josh and Elise, and siblings: Chris Dale, Donna Hartz, Tom Bauer, and Ron Bauer. He was preceded in death by his parents.

 Interment of ashes will be in the Salem City Cemetery, Salem, Utah.

To  leave condolences, visit www.legacyfunerals.com