Kent Elwin Bauer, 80, went to his heavenly home on June 11, 2022 after passing away from pancreatic and bladder cancer at his home in Sun City, AZ.
Kent was born August 4, 1941 to June and Harold Bauer in Rapid City, SD. He was raised on the Bauer Ranch at Enning, SD where he attended a rural one-room school house through the 8th grade. He attended Sturgis Brown High School prior to “resigning and joining the school of hard knocks” as he liked to say. This allowed him much more time to pursue his hobby of drag racing on the old airport road, for which he was quite infamous! He drove a molasses truck for a few months before he had a serious accident that resulted in him sustaining nearly fatal injuries. He then worked for a seismograph crew where he learned surveying, a field he truly enjoyed.
In August, 1962, he married Coleen Spencer at the Sturgis First Presbyterian Church. To this union, three sons were born: Michael, Dwaine, and Cody. Kent and Coleen owned the Enco Gas Station in Sturgis for a few years before moving to Everett, WA to work for Boeing. They returned to Sturgis in 1969 where he worked surveying for Ferguson, Meador, Gelhaus until 1976. The family moved to Clark Fork, ID where he worked first as a surveyor and then as a manager in a surveying company, eventually moving to Sandpoint, ID. In 2007, Coleen died after a battle with cancer. In August 2011 he married Sharon Bourne and they resided in the Couer d’Alene area. Through his attendance at church with Sharon, Kent accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior and he was baptized in 2012. Kent and Sharon moved to Sun City, AZ in 2019 where they spent many hours in their “Arizona Room” reminiscing.
During his life, Kent enjoyed golfing, fishing and hunting; he was quite the crack shot! Kent and Sharon enjoyed traveling and especially ocean cruises.
Kent was preceded in death by his parents, his first wife, Coleen and nieces Pamela (Claymore) Knutson and Brenna Bauer. He is survived by his wife, Sharon Bourne Bauer of Wylie, TX; children Michael Bauer and Dwaine (Denise) Bauer of Ponderay, ID; and Cody (Sara) Bauer of St. Ignatius, MT; sisters Julee (Lyle) Steinman of Piedmont, SD and Peggy (Dan) Bourdo of Warsaw, IN, brother Linn (Beth) Bauer of Sturgis, SD, and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Kent’s life will be held Sept. 2, 2023 from 2-4pm at the Woodland Shelter in the Sturgis, SD City Park. All family and friends are invited to attend.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.kinkadefunerals.com.
