Gordon C. Bauer

Gordon C. Bauer (1933-2024) passed away at the age of 91 at his home in Mt. Green, Utah surrounded by family and close friends on April 24^th, 2024, leaving behind his angel companion, Carolyn, on the day of their 71^st wedding anniversary.

His parents, John Carlos and Aurelia Worthen were thrilled to welcome their first baby boy, Gordon, into the family on February 3, 1933, in Panguitch, Utah. Being born and raised during the Great Depression instilled the quality of thriftiness and he grew to embody the phrase, “Use it up, wear it out, make it due, or do without.”  At the age of 10, He prematurely assumed the title “Man of the House” when his father died in a tragic train collision. Even though he lost his dad at a young age, he remembered and later modeled his father’s character and philosophy of life which included: “Honesty, integrity, and dependability being of the utmost importance,” and “To learn how to do something, you must try to DO it.” His mother continued to teach those same qualities through words, actions, and example by raising eight children alone. Gordon attended Cedar City High School where he played for the basketball team that took third place in the state tournament during his senior year. Upon graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United States Airforce where he gained further training in the field of electronics and where his love for his country grew.

He married his high school sweetheart, Carolyn Painter, on April 24, 1953, in Cedar City, Utah and they were later sealed for time and all eternity in the St. George Temple on September 11, 1954. Gordon and Carolyn couldn’t wait to start a family of their own and their children meant the world to them. They were blessed with five active boys and their family was finally complete when their sixth child, a baby girl, was born. Shortly after their marriage, they left Cedar City to settle in Woods Cross, Utah to be close to his new job at Hill Airforce Base. Gordon took great pride and joy building his next home in Layton, Utah where they resided with their six children for twenty-eight years. Later, he built a beautiful home in Fruit Heights, Utah. Their final move to Mt. Green, Utah brought immense blessings in the form of beautiful scenery and warm, tender, life-long friends many of whom served him through his final days.

Gordon always provided for his family, sometimes working multiple jobs to give them what they needed. He was passionate about his job at Hill Airforce Base where he worked for 38 years for the Air Force Logistics Center. He received many performance awards for his in- depth knowledge and understanding in the field of procurement specifically for increasing efficiency and for sustained superior performance. He enjoyed performing the duty of lead technician for contract repairs of the F-16. In addition to working as a career, he was hard-working at home. He was a man-of-all-trades and loved always having household projects to work on. He literally was completing home-repair projects weeks before his passing. He embodied the phrase, “A job worth doing is worth doing well.”

Even though he placed a high priority on hard work, he also had varied talents and hobbies. He was extremely artistic and inventive. His interests included archery, hunting, fishing, canoeing, and boxing. He became accomplished at archery, winning many awards for his marksmanship. This lent itself to his love for bowhunting.  He loved deer hunting with his brother, Duane, and his sons. He included his family in his love for fishing and the outdoors by taking them on camping trips to Navaho Lake during the summer. One of his proudest moments was being part of the Cedar City Sixth ward church basketball team that won 3^rd place in the “All Church Basketball Tournament.” Provo tournament officials stated that 2,600 teams participated in that tournament! He achieved his all-time high of thirty-three points in a game.

Though he loved archery, hunting, fishing, and church basketball, Gordon cherished his role as grandparent. He treasured time with his grandkids showing them how to fly a kite, care for the yard, or bust a move with a new dance step. One of his greatest joys was watching his grandkids develop and share their talents in music, sports, and dance.

Gordon was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He devoted much of his time serving and ministering to families in his ward. He was always ready and willing to complete a house repair or administer a blessing to the families he had stewardship over.

Gordon loved his family above all else. His seven siblings always held a special place in his heart. Every comment about his brothers and sisters was filled with immense admiration, love, and respect. Bauer family reunions were always a time of laughter, fun, and joy. He was a loyal, faithful brother, son, father, and husband. His memory and example will live on in the lives and hearts of his posterity. He could say as the author in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

He is survived by his wife Carolyn, sons; Karl A. Bauer, Craig Bauer, Mark C. Bauer, Brent W. Bauer, his daughter Christine Bauer Thomson, his brother, Duane Bauer, sister Bobbette Vorkink, 15 grandchildren and 31 great-grandchildren.

Gordon was preceded in death by his parents;  his son Scott Bauer,  his sisters; Norma Jeffries, Colleen Webster, Marjarie Blackburn, Opal Topham and his brother Raymond Bauer.

Funeral services will be held Friday May 3, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at the Willow Creek Ward, 4270 Cottonwood Canyon Rd., Mountain Green, Utah.  Friends and family may visit Thursday May 2, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lindquist’s Layton Mortuary, 1867 N. Fairfield Rd., Layton, Utah . and Friday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the church prior to the service.

Interment, Lindquist’s Memorial Park at Layton.

The funeral service will be live-streamed and may be viewed by scrolling to the bottom of Gordon’s obituary page at www.lindquistmortuary.com