Richard C. "Dick" Bauer

June 10, 1945 - December 25, 2015

Richard Carl Bauer, 70 of Polk died December 25, 2015 at Bryan West Hospital in Lincoln. Services will be at 10:30 A.M. Wednesday, December 30 at Community Bible Church in Central City with the Rev. Dale Janzen officiating. Visitation will be Tuesday, December 29 from 5-7 P.M. at Solt funeral home in Polk. Burial will be at 2:00 P.M. at Arborville Cemetery following the service. Dick was born June 10, 1945 to Carl and Grace (Pollard) Bauer in Cambridge, Nebraska. At age seven he responded to the gospel and accepted Christ as his personal savior. He grew up in rural Cambridge until his family moved to Longmont, CO when he was twelve years old. He graduated from Longmont High School in l963 and later attended Rockmont Bible College where he and Lorraine met. He graduated from Colorado Christian College in Denver with degrees in Bible and music. Dick and Lorraine were married June 22, l968 at the First Baptist Church in Polk. Two sons were born to this union. Dick held a variety of jobs during their early years of marriage working for the U.S. Post Office, the Army Ammunition Plant, and a newspaper press. In l976 the family moved to Hastings where he took training to become a licensed nursing home administrator. He served homes in Central City, Holdrege, Plattsmouth, and Fairmont. He often served churches needing an interim or part-time pastor and served as Chaplain at Midwest Covenant Home in Stromsburg. Prior to Dick’s retirement, he worked as executive director of Midland Area on Aging in Hastings, overseeing eight counties of senior centers and services to the elderly. Dick’s retirement years were spent in Polk, NE where he pastored the Evangelical Free Church for six years and drove a school bus for High Plains Community School. He was a “people person” and had a way of touching lives with his smile and humor. His deep desire was to point others to Christ. Among his greatest loves were his children, precious grandkids, singing duets with Lorraine, eating anything chocolate, doing word games and his bus kids. He was preceded in death by his parents, a sister-in-law, Joyce Bauer and a brother-in-law, Norm Recknor. Survivors left to cherish his memory are his wife, Lorraine of Polk, two sons and a daughter-in-law L. David and Nicole Bauer of Polk, NE; Travis Bauer of Ft. Collins, CO; three grandchildren, Layne Bauer, John Bauer, Serena Bauer of Polk, NE; two sisters, Faith Young of Branson, MO; Beverly Bauer of Stromsburg, NE; one brother, Kenneth Bauer of Springfield, MO; two brother-in-law, John Recknor of Bennet, NE; Lance Recknor (Charlotte) of Central City NE; nieces and nephews and a host of friends. He will be missed by many. In lieu of flowers, memorials per desire of Dick may be sent to the family to help support his favorite charities.