Bill Bauer passed away peacefully into the loving arms of his heavenly Father on January 8, 2026, surrounded by family. He was born to Jacob and Katherine Bauer, the youngest of a family of eight. His birth took place in a sod house near Burstall, SK. When he was a year and a half old, the family moved to another farm in the area with a wood-frame house.

He was always good at sports and loved playing baseball. Growing up in the “dirty thirties” they were so poor and had only one ball; they would have to sew it up when stitches came apart. The boys in the family were quite musical, and they would sit around in the kitchen and “jam”. Their favorite song was “Twilight Time” by the Platters. The Bauer boys and some neighbor boys would play for dances in the district.

As a young man, he worked at various jobs. Bill picked fruit for a couple of seasons at Oliver, BC; worked on a farm at Claresholm, AB; & delivered newspapers and magazines to stores in Calgary, AB. In 1951, he took a job with McDonald’s Consolidated in Calgary, delivering produce and groceries around the city. Later, he was promoted to the position of receiver. While at McDonald’s, he met his beloved Peggy. She was standing in her bare feet, packing tomatoes because the strap on her sandal had broken. He tried to sell her tickets for a draw, 3 for 25 cents, but she wouldn’t buy any, so he bought them for her! He told his co-worker later, “That’s the girl I’m going to marry”.

Bill and Peggy were married on August 27, 1955. He didn’t like living in the city, so he took a job with Alberta Pacific Grain Company as the agent at Delacour, AB. While there, their daughter Connie was born in October 1956. Two weeks later, the family moved to Gartley, north of Drumheller, AB, as Bill was hired as an agent there for the Alberta Wheat Pool. While there, Jim was born in Drumheller in 1959. Bill was a very proud father of his young family. You’d think he was the only one who had ever had kids!

Bill was transferred to Acme in August of 1960. He and Peggy were very happy with the move, as now they had running water and a natural gas furnace in their company house. In 1974, he left the Alberta Wheat Pool to manage the fuel and tire division of the Linden Co-op, later transferring to the lumber department. In 1982, he took on the position of custodian of the Acme School, a position he enjoyed very much, retiring in 1990.

Bill was very good at many sports and won plenty of trophies over the years in bowling, curling, and golf. He and Lorne Sagert, principal of Acme school, were 2 of the founding members of the Acme Golf Club and designed the original layout of the course. Bill and Lorne spent many hours walking the property and drawing potential hole placings and then measuring them out with a 100-foot tape. Bill served as the club's treasurer for the first 17 years. This past fall, Dad was so pleased to be included in the sod turning photo op for the new clubhouse, as he was the only surviving member of the original board.

Carpentry was a special skill he had with no formal training. He built two comfortable homes for our family in Acme. Later, he and Peggy bought other houses and renovated them, and rented them out. He also did numerous projects for his family and friends, helping them build decks, replace windows, etc.

One night back in the 70s, Mum was listening to the Lawrence Welk Show, and they played “When it’s 3 O’clock in the Morning”. Peggy got the bright idea that it would be so romantic to get up and dance at 3:00 a.m., so she set the alarm on an old, tinny-sounding Big Ben clock. Unbeknownst to dad, and while they were sound asleep, Big Ben went off in due time! Dad jumped up in bed and yelled, “what the hell is that”? Mum thought it sounded like a freight train going through the house! Apparently, then she nonchalantly said, “oh it’s just the alarm, dear”. There was no dancing that night, and she never tried it again!

In June 1990, he was diagnosed with colon cancer. In the morning, before the surgery, he expressed that he was afraid of dying. The devotional booklet “Our Daily Bread” had the story of the prodigal son for that day's reading. Mum read it to him and talked with him about it, and he received Jesus as his saviour at that time. It was a life-changing experience for him. After surgery, he made 56 weekly trips to the Tom Baker Cancer Center for chemotherapy.

Bill had a keen mind, and even with only a grade 8 education, he was very good at crossword puzzles, often getting the words ahead of those of us who had more education than him! He also loved “puttering” in his shop and caring for his properties. The highlight of his week was to go to the Acme Seniors and play pool with retired buddies on Tuesdays. He always told Mum, " Don’t make an appointment on a Tuesday! Another of his loves was the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team. He so enjoyed their World Series run this past fall and was so disappointed when they didn’t win.

In retirement, Dad & Mom took our family on a trip to Mexico, visited the Dominican Republic, and took several bus tours. They were in Ottawa on a Parliament Hill tour on Sept. 11/2001. They thought they got gypped when they were hustled out after only about 10 minutes! Then, a couple of days later, they were in Gander NFLD, where they drove past all the jets that were grounded there. Travelling was ok, but his happy place was their home.

In 2024, due to declining health, he was moved into Westview Care Community at Linden. While there, he still enjoyed playing crib, watching the Blue Jays, and joking with the staff.

On July 9, last year, Bill turned 100 years old! A community party was held on July 12 at the Acme Seniors Association, with 125 people signing his guest card. A special surprise was his granddaughter Brooke and her 2 children coming all the way from Australia. He enjoyed the whole day immensely, greeting friends and family. He even joined us at Connie and Hughs’ farm for an evening barbecue, staying up way past his bedtime until 8:00 p.m.! One month later, Dad and Mum celebrated their 70th anniversary.

Bill was predeceased by his parents, two sisters, and five brothers. He is survived by his beloved, Peggy; his daughter, Connie (Hugh), their daughter, Carlie (James), Dylan, Lincoln, Ethan, Charlotte, and their son, Ian. He is also survived by his son, Jim (Barb), their daughter, Carmen (Rob), Peyton & Paige; daughter, Brooke (Roy), Liam & Rochelle Anne; son, Joshua, son Jacob (Alexandria). He is also survived by a sister-in-law, Donna, a brother-in-law, Ken, and many nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank Dr. Kyne, Three Hills Hospital, Home Care, Dr. Calhoun, and the Westview Care Community staff for the wonderful, loving care they provided to Bill over the past few years.

We’d also like to thank all those who took time to stop in and visit Dad & brighten his days.

If family and friends so desire, in lieu of flowers, memorial tributes may be made directly to the Westview Care Community in Linden, AB, or the Acme Golf Club.

A private family graveside service will take place. Funeral Services will be held at Linden Mennonite Brethren Church, Friday, January 16, 2026, and 2:00 p.m. Reception to follow at Linden Mennonite Brethren Church.

Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared and viewed with Bill's family here.