SPALDING — David Joseph Bauer, 63, of Spalding passed away Saturday, July 15, 2017, at Nebraska Medicine in Omaha.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday, July 21, at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Spalding, with the Revs. Antony Thekkekara and James Murphy officiating. Burial will follow in the St. Michael’s Catholic Cemetery at Spalding. Dolce-Scheef Mortuary of Spalding is in charge of the arrangements.

David Joseph Bauer, the son of Bernard and Rita (Glaser) Bauer, was born on Jan. 3, 1954, in Spalding. He was baptized and confirmed at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Greeley. David grew up on a farm east of Greeley and attended school at Sacred Heart and later Greeley High School, graduating in 1972. Following his high school graduation, David attended Hastings Tech Community College, where he earned an associate’s degree in agriculture diesel mechanics. After graduating from college, David moved to Spalding and began working at Spalding Implement as a mechanic.

On Nov. 28, 1975, David was united in marriage to Joan Walsh at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Spalding. To this union five children were born, Tracy, Brenda, Derek, Becky and Steven. David continued working at Spalding Implement, later becoming parts manager until the late 1990s when he retired due to health reasons. David enjoyed working with his hands and loved building things and doing carpentry work on the house. David also enjoyed fishing and canoeing, but most important to him was spending quality time with his family. When his children were young he would spend a lot of time with them, doing activities such as: biking, playing basketball, camping and shooting. In recent years he spent a lot of his time visiting the elderly, grabbing coffee with the guys at “the shop,” never letting the cancer beat him, and strengthening his faith. His strong faith helped him to keep a positive attitude through his struggles. David always put his own struggles aside to help others in their time of need and no matter how tough the challenge he was faced with, always kept his sense of humor.


David was a member of the Spalding Fire Department and was an EMT on the Spalding Rescue Squad. As he grew up, David was a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Greeley, and later as an adult, he became a member of St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Spalding, as well as being a member of the Knights of Columbus.

David is survived by his wife, Joan Bauer of Spalding; five children, Tracy (Tom) Straatmeyer of Lincoln, Brenda (Scott) Lubischer of Raymond, Derek (Cassy) Bauer of Chadron, Becky Bauer of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Steven Bauer of Wayne; seven grandchildren, Mason and Kalen Straatmeyer of Lincoln, Preston, Landon and Easton Lubischer of Raymond, and Tanner and Gabriel Bauer of Chadron; three sisters, Kay (Al) Warzecha of Cambridge, Minn., Mary (Mike) Zacher of Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Jeanette Delzer of Ord; six brothers, Ray (Sharon) Bauer of Spalding, Louie (Mary) Bauer of Greeley, Mark (Janet) Bauer of Spalding, Chuck Bauer of Wood River, Jake (Deanna) Bauer of St. Paul, and Mike (Vicki) Bauer of Shenendoah, Iowa; and a sister-in-law, Patty Bauer of Greeley; as well as many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Joe Bauer.