Frank Bauer Jr. of Lawrenceburg, Indiana, passed away Wednesday, May 3, 2023, at the age of 87. He was surrounded by his loving wife of 67 years, Nancy L. Bauer (nee Byrd), his four children and their spouses, Tim (Rhonda) Bauer, Teresa (Dale) Randall, Toni (Kerry) Meyer, Tami (Mick) Meyer and several of his grandchildren.
Frank was born on Oct. 18, 1935, and, at a very young age his family relocated from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Aurora, Indiana. He spent his life in Southeast Indiana hunting, fishing and exploring Hogan Creek with his Willoughby family. He went to work on the railroad at age 15 and enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 16. He served in the Army from 1953 to 1956 and saw the end of the Korean War. While on leave, he met his wife, Nancy, in Martinsville, Virginia. They married on July 29, 1956, and settled back in Indiana to start their life together.
The Virginia family remained a big part of their lives with frequent trips back to Martinsville over the years. This created a special bond with cousins, aunts and uncles from Virginia that remains very close today. Frank also worked for his uncle, Russell Willoughby, working roofing and construction jobs in his early adult years. Very bright and good with his hands, Frank could build or fix just about anything. He put himself through electronics school and opened his first business repairing radios and TVs while working fulltime in the 1960s. He worked at Thatcher Glass and was a proud IBEW electrician at Seagram’s Distillery for several years. Most importantly, he was a father, a husband and dedicated his whole life to his family.
The couple operated three businesses in Dearborn County during his lifetime: Bauer Electronics (radio and TV repair), the first Radio Shack franchise in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, and purchased Club Dallas nightclub in Aurora, Indiana, and ran it for many years. Strong, sometimes stubborn, and intelligent, Frank was a blue-collar veteran who loved America and had deep respect for those who served in the military. He was a traditional, prideful man from humble beginnings and a father to the very end.
He is preceded in death by his father Frank Bauer, mother Margaret (Willoughby) Bauer, sisters Delores “Jitterbug” (Willoughby) Emery, Mary House, daughter-in-law Maria Bauer and Henry J. Bohanan, great-grandson. He is survived by his sister, Shirley L. (Joseph) Smith of Dillsboro, IN.
A service is planned for Saturday, May 20, 2023, at 11:30 a.m. at Riverview Cemetery, Aurora, Indiana, at the Angel Garden Columbarium where his cremated ashes were interred.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations in the name of Frank Bauer Jr. to the Aurora Lions Club, PO Box 11, Aurora, Indiana, 47001, or the Southeastern Indiana Honor Guard, 8304 Lower Probst Road, Moores Hill, Indiana, 47032. Fitch-Denney Funeral Home, Greendale, Indiana, has been entrusted with arrangements and condolences may be offered online at www.fitchdenney.com.
Our hearts are heavy, but Frank will be remembered for the impact he had on his community over the years and will most certainly live on through his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.