Jeff M. B. Bauer

LIFE STORY: Jeffrey Bauer was a dedicated husband and father. He made his family his first priority and put their needs before his own. Although he may have seen some rough patches in his life, Jeff was able to fill every day with energy, life and love, while family was the most cherished thing in his life. Jeffrey Michael Benjamin Bauer was born on November 27, 1970, in Cozad, Nebraska, to Thomas Turner and Annette Krumland Orlowski. At the age of two, Jeff became a proud big brother when his brother Joel was born and his maternal grandmother came all the way from Washington to meet her new grandson. She fondly remembers first seeing Jeff on the front porch, rocking on his horse as fast as he could and his bushy blonde hair going along for the wild ride. But what really touched her heart was that Jeff was sweetly singing, "Jesus Loves Me" for all the world to hear. That was Jeff though; he lived life boisterously and in full throttle. Jeff was four when his parents divorced, and he, his mother and brother moved out to Spokane, Washington. This was where Jeff began school. As a young boy, Jeff was sick quite often with ear infections, and when doctors decided to take out his tonsils and adenoids, they found the scarring was so bad from the infections that Jeff was for the most part deaf. Here his mother and Aunt Karolyn thought he was just ignoring them when they talked, when in fact Jeff had learned to lip-read in order to communicate with everyone. When Jeff was nine, he was adopted by his mom's new husband, Mike Bauer, and gained two new sisters, Christa and Trisha. Jeff never let anything hold him back from succeeding. He played football and was a very talented catcher in baseball, which he played since Pee Wee. His high school coach boasted that Jeff was the only sophomore catcher who could make a double play, and he expected recruiters would be coming to see him. Unfortunately, Jeff lost interest in baseball his senior year. Jeff "strongly" persuaded his brother Joel to be athletic as well, though he wasn't that interested in it. Jeff would say, "you play or you pay." Joel was a big fan of his older brother and said, "I followed my brother everywhere - even when he didn't want me to!" He never knew what Jeff was going to get him into, like in high school when they piled into Jeff's truck with some friends and headed to the 7 Mile Bridge in Spokane, Washington's Bowl and Pitcher State Park. This was an old train trestle that hovered 25 feet over the river, however when standing on top of the trestle, it stood 75 feet above the water. It definitely wasn't Joel's intention to jump from there, but with Jeff's adamant urging, they both did it together. For many summers, the boys would visit their Aunt Merrie Lynn, Uncle Art and cousin, Seselia, who lived on the Siletz River in Lincoln City, Oregon. This was where Jeff learned to fish, and almost caught the fish of all fishes, which he swears his Uncle Art lost for him. It was on this day that Jeff had that "big one" on the line and told his brother Joel to go get Uncle Art, while he feverishly fought to reel it in. Uncle Art came flying down to the river, looked at his catch and said, "Jeff has got a Monster Snag!" Jeff really loved being on the water, and when his family went camping on many occasions at Lake Roosevelt, he found a passion for water skiing. It was said he would cut so hard into the water that it actually slowed the boat down. Moreover, when Jeff went tubing, he bet his uncles they couldn't get him off, and he never lost a bet. After high school, Jeff moved around Washington for a while before joining his mother and brother Joel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The radio station, Lazer 103, recruited him to play on their softball team. They talked about him often on air and even had him sit in and do commentary. During this time, Jeff was having a hard time adjusting and became a little distant. Yet, in the darkness there was a ray of hope when Jeff was reunited with his father, and they were able to foster a special relationship, spending quality time together. One of his fondest memories was fishing with his dad. For three years, Jeff lived with his brother Joel, his wife, Molly, and his niece, Nadia, and during this time, he put his life in perspective and began pursing a career as a nursing assistant. His mother worked in the nursing profession, mainly as a nursing home administrator, and Jeff decided he wanted to dedicate his life to working with elderly people. When Jeff was 27, he hit a really rough patch in his life, and was down on his luck. With the love and encouragement of his Uncle Ted and Aunt Merrie Lynn, Jeff found his way back to church. With the assistance of the Covenant Church in Lacey, Washington, Jeff went to Colorado to attend an eight-month program for discipleship called "Covenant Bible College." It was here that Jeff met Lori Anne Bush, who had also just come through a hard time in her life. At first encounter, Lori didn't much like Jeff, only because he was as loud and obnoxious as she was. But when Jeff had a relapse and returned to detox on February 1, 1999, Lori knew he had taken a piece of her heart with him. Then, on April 11th, Jeff took Lori to a local coffee shop where their whole school gathered. Unbeknownst to Lori, Jeff had a rose and engagement ring set on a table in the back and with the Eagles' hit song "Love Will Keep Us Alive" playing in the background, Jeff proposed to Lori. After which happy cheers and applauds filled the shop from fellow classmates, who knew all along. Jeff and Lori were married that October in 1999, in Muskegon, Michigan. They enjoyed a romantic honeymoon in Traverse City, where they got matching tattoos paraphrasing Romans 1:12 "You and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith." Jeff felt so blessed to have such a wonderful wife as Lori, and cherished her every day. A year after saying I do, Jeff and Lori welcomed the birth of their first son, Jeremiah Joel (JJ), who was followed in 2002, by their second son, Samuel Lawrence, and only eight months ago by their youngest son, Benjamin Wallace. Jeff loved being a father to his three boys, and took great joy in teaching them to play all the sports he enjoyed, and to be a loyal Seattle Seahawks, Mariners and Sonics fan, like he was. Jeff went on to earn his degree as an LPN and committed to the care of the elderly. Jeff was an excellent example to his boys of how to be a good husband and to work hard in life. One example in particular especially stands out in Lori's mind, which took place about two years ago. Little Samuel was only one and very sick, and they didn't have the money to get a coat for Lori. So, Jeff told Lori he and JJ were going out for a while and after being gone for over three hours, Lori was starting to worry. Jeff and JJ finally returned home but with rosy red cheeks, runny noses, and most importantly with a white Columbia ski jacket for Lori. Jeff went on to explain that he convinced the Meijer's manager to let him work off the coat, so for three hours he collected shopping carts from the parking lot in the sub-zero bitter cold, while JJ sweetly greeted people at the door. What a beautiful gesture from her husband, and a valuable life lesson for JJ! Sadly, Jeff died unexpectedly on Thursday, January 25, 2007. He will be deeply missed, yet his example will influence his loved ones for years to come. Learn more about Jeff, view his Life Story Film, and visit with his family on Monday from 2-4 & 6-8 PM at Clock Life Story Funeral Home. His service will be held on Tuesday at 1 PM at Kainay Community Church. Jeff's family includes his wife, Lori Anne; 3 children, 6 year old, Jeremiah Joel, 4 year old, Samuel Lawrence & 8 month old, Benjamin Wallace; parents, Annette (Bob) Orlowski of Lansing, IA & Thomas (Sandra) Turner of Bucoda, WA; grandparents, Wallace & Mary Louise Krumland of Olympia, WA & Hazel Tobias of Muskegon; 1 brother, Joel (Molly) Turner of Horicon, WI & nieces & nephews, Nadia, Peter Thomas & Jeffrey's God Daughter, Breanna Louise Turner; parents-in-law, Lawrence (Marilyn) Bush of Muskegon; 2 sisters-in-law, Lisa Dawn (Dave) Bowers of Muskegon & Lynnette Marie (Andrew) Buikema of Muskegon; 2 brothers-in-law, Lawrence Timothy (Lisa Ann) Bush of Muskegon & Lee Thomas (Lisa Maureen) Bush of Muskegon & many adoring aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews & cousins. He was preceded in death by Lori's daughter, Carmin Joy. Please visit Jeff's memory page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you can read his Life Story, archive a favorite memory or photo, or sign his guestbook. Memorial donations may be made to Lori Bauer for the benefit of their three young children. A trust fund is being established on their behalf.