Laconia-----RUTH BYRD TAPPAN BAUER, age 87, died on Tuesday, June 12, 2012 at her home in LedgeView, Taylor Community, Laconia, NH, after a long period of failing health. She was born January 13, 1925, on Hainan Island, located in the South China Sea, the daughter of Presbyterian missionaries, the Reverend David S. Tap-pan, Jr. and Luella Rice Tappan. Ruth lived in China until she was 15 years old, where she was educated under her mother’s guidance for many years and later attended the Shanghai American School.
In 1940 the family returned to California where Ruth attended high school and college, graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Occidental College in 1947. She then traveled by train to New York City, earned a Master’s degree from Union Theological Seminary/Columbia University, and was employed by the New York City Mission Soci-ety. She met Frederick E. Bauer, Jr. at Camp Sharparoon, a summer camp operated by the Mission Society, and married him in June 1949. Ruth and Fred were a part of the Mount Hermon School community, where Fred taught, from 1949 until 1970. During this time their children Dorothy Anne, David Llewellyn, and James Freder-ick were born. Ruth worked as the Director of Christian Education at the Trinitarian Congregational Church in Northfield, MA, participated in various volunteer activities, and then took courses at the University of Massa-chusetts, Amherst to earn her Elementary Teaching Certificate.
In 1970 the Bauers relocated to Holden, MA and Ruth taught third grade in Barre, MA. In 1984 the couple re-tired to their long-time summer home on Mirror Lake in Tuftonboro, NH. Ruth then served as the Tuftonboro Town Librarian from 1984-1986 and was active in the Melvin Village Community Church and the Mirror Lake Community Church. In 1993 Ruth and Fred moved to the Taylor Community in Laconia, where they continued their volunteer and church activities. They helped establish the Taylor Community Library, now known as the Bauer Library. Ruth was a member of Delta Kappa Gamma (education sorority), PEO Chapter G in Meredith, NH, and the Historical Societies in Holden, MA, Tuftonboro, NH and Laconia, NH. She was also a member of The Congregational Church of Laconia. The Bauers were married for 59 years before Fred died in 2008.
Ruth gave generously of herself and showed her love for children in many contexts, especially in her family. She is survived by her daughter Dottie and her husband Jim Gardner, of Keene, NH; son Jim and his wife Lynn, of Minot, ME; four grandchildren: Jocelyn Bauer Gardner Spencer and her husband Matthew Gardner Spencer of Arlington, MA; Christine Bauer Jong and her husband Matthew Jong of Wilmington, MA; Caroline Bauer, of New Orleans; and Daniel Bauer Gardner; one great-grand son, Cameron Jong; nieces and nephews in California and Colorado; and many, many dear friends. Her son David died in 1956. Her brother David S. Tappan III died in 2010.
A celebration of her life will be held at The Congregational Church of Laconia, 69 Pleasant Street, Laconia, N.H. on July 28, 2012 at 2:00PM.
The family requests that instead of flowers, contributions be made in Ruth’s honor to: Got Lunch, c/o The Con-gregational Church of Laconia, 18 Veterans Square, Laconia NH 03246; OR Northfield Mount Hermon School, Revell Hall, One Lamplighter Way, Mount Hermon MA 01354; OR Taylor Community Sunshine Fund, c/o Taylor Community, 435 Union Avenue, Laconia NH 03246.
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia, N.H. is assisting the family with the arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial go to www.wilkinsonbeane.com.