Gary Bauer never got cheated with his life

There isn't much I have missed around town in my 42 years with the Norwalk Reflector. And it seems like almost every event I have covered, Gary Bauer was right there as a father, teacher, politician or a fan. Of all the people I have met over the years, Gary Bauer is at the top of my list. And things weren't always great. I remember a number of times he took me to task about one thing or another. Years ago I was sitting at my desk at our old building on Monroe Street and Gary walked in with a Reflector in his hand. He opened it up the sports page and showed me the two volleyball articles — one about the Norwalk Truckers and one about the St. Paul Flyers. The St. Paul story was bigger and he wasn't happy about it. Throughout the years when he had concerns about our stories, he would come in to see me. He was never angry or mean, but he was concerned. Another time we wrote a story about some people who got into trouble and were suspended from the NHS high school musical. That day I got calls from Gary, his wife, Mary, and their daughter, Robyn. That was a rough day. And I never took it personally. That's because I knew Gary read every inch of the newspaper. I remember all of the times he would come into a basketball game with the Norwalk Reflector folded under his arm. During timeouts or at halftime, he would get the newspaper out and give it a quick glance. It is because of people like him we can still print a newspaper every day. Gary passed away Monday morning following a year-long battle with brain cancer. It was a tough day Monday for me. I got a call earlier in the morning that my mother passed away. She was 94 and her health was declining following the death of my father in September 2020. Jody and I visited her Saturday in the assisted care facility she was living and showed her all of the pictures from Megan's recent wedding. The whole family got to see her the day after Christmas when we took her out for lunch. She played cards with my sister and her husband on Sunday, went to bed that night and died in her sleep. It was a peaceful way to go, just like my dad did. I was happy to see her in her final days on this earth. I will miss my my mom — and I will miss Gary Bauer. Gary lived life to the fullest. He loved his family and he loved The Ohio State University Buckeyes. He and Mary never missed a home football game. They had a schedule — leave five hours before kickoff: stop to eat; go to the band Skull Session; then head to the game. He always told me he loved the old days when game began at 1 p.m. Lately the games could be at noon, or 3, or 3:30 or 8. Those late games were tough sledding for veteran fans set in their ways. And as much as he loved the Buckeyes, he loved the band. Gary was very proud of his two daughters, Wendy and Robyn, and later their husbands Chad and Eric, for marching in The Ohio State University Marching Band. I remember one year when the Buckeyes were playing at home and Robyn was playing in a volleyball tournament in Galion. Gary said he and Mary contemplated going to the Buckeyes game, sitting down for a couple of minutes then heading back to Galion for the tournament. He wanted to keep his streak of Buckeye games alive. I don't remember what the two did, but that was the kind of guy he was. Rest in peace, Gary. I hope you have a front-row now for every Buckeye game. Joe Centers is Reflector managing editor. He can be reached at jcenters@norwalkreflector.com.