Dr. Donald F. "Doc" Bauer

Donald F “Doc” Bauer, 80, of Huson, passed away Monday, March 18, 2013 at his home in the arms of his loving wife and other family members after a long battle with lung cancer.

He was born on Sept. 22, 1932 in Helena, to Frank Donald and Juliet DeBree Bauer.  He graduated from Helena High School in 1950, and attended Carroll College in Helena and Montana State College in Bozeman.  He graduated from the Creighton Dental School in Omaha, Nebraska in 1956, and began a 55 year dental practice in Superior, retiring in 2012.

He married Genevieve Elizabeth “Liz” McJilton in August 1956 in Helena, and together they raised nine children in Superior.  They were married 32 years until Liz’s passing in 1988.  In August 1990, he married Jean Topel in Coeur d’Alene, ID.  They were married 23 years until his passing.  Thanks to Jean’s loving care and strength, he was able to spend his last days in the comfort of his own home.

Doc served on the Superior School Board for many years, and supported his children in all of their school endeavors and sporting events. He loved camping and the outdoors, and spent many hours in the mountains, along a stream, or on a lake.  He and Jean loved their daily trips to look for deer, elk, and turkeys in the Nine Mile area.  He was an avid fisherman and hunter, and an expert marksman, and passed on safety, sportsmanship, and stewardship of the land to all his children.  He could repair or rebuild almost anything, and was a master craftsman creating custom gun stocks for numerous relatives and friends.  He was an accomplished model builder and radio control pilot, and a long time member of the Big Sky Thunderbirds R/C Club of Missoula.  He trained and loved many generations of Labrador retrievers.  And he very much enjoyed helping Jean with her crafts and cake business.  He was a loving husband and father.

Besides his first wife Liz, he was preceded in death by his son and business partner, Dr Charles Paul “Chuck” Bauer.

Doc is survived by his loving wife Jean, sisters Judy Waterman in Helena and Patti Kercher in Anchorage, Alaska; brother’s in law Randy Topel (Rochelle) Dallas, Texas; Ron Topel (Debbie) Rochester, Washington; Rob Topel (Sheri) Eugene, Oregon; and Rod Topel (Brenda) Ferndale, Washington; sons Don (Kathy) Butte, Steve (Cindy) Idaho, Tom (Tracy) Missoula, Jerry (Dawn) Superior, Larry (Anne) Helena; daughters Cathy Brooks (Bill) Ohio, Therese Kemp (Bob) Great Falls, and Suzy Mears (Brian) Kalispell, twenty grandchildren, and numerous great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

Visitation will begin at 6 PM Friday March 22 at Sunset Memorial Funeral Home in Missoula, followed by a Vigil service at 7 PM.  Funeral services will be conducted at St John the Baptist Catholic Church in Frenchtown at 11 AM Saturday March 23.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Partners In Home Care Hospice of Missoula, or a charity of the donor’s choice.

God bless you Don, Dad, Grandpa, and Doc, we’ll miss you much, until we meet again.