Richard A. Bauer

Richard Arnold “Dick” Bauer, 84, of Maysville died May 6, 2020, at his home.

He was born Aug. 24, 1935, in Bridgeport, Nebraska, to Carl and Grace Bauer.

Nine years after graduating from high school, he enrolled at the University of Denver, where he paid for his first quarter of college and then received a full-ride scholarship.

He finished his bachelor’s degree and juris doctorate degree in 5½ years, graduating magna cum laude, while also working full-time driving an armored truck route to Wyoming.

Mr. Bauer married Ethel Jean Butherus in 1954 and worked a variety of jobs, including cattle ranch cowboy, oil field roughneck and Safeway store manager, as they raised a family of three children.

The couple divorced in the early 1970s, and he found he didn’t much like being a practicing attorney.

In 1976, he met Enid Wilson Maxwell, widowed mother of four children, who later became his wife and business partner for more than 40 years as owners of the Ponderosa Guest Ranch (later Ponderosa Lodge) west of Salida.

They supported a number of social justice causes, most personally in providing food and clothing to an orphanage in Palomas, Mexico.

Mr. Bauer served on boards of the Chaffee County Visitors Bureau and Chaffee County Fire Protection District.

He was a founding board member and vice president of Colorado Firecamp, a nonprofit wildland firefighter school.

His family said his recipes for green chile meatloaf and pozole remain favorites of fire instructors and students.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Robert “Red” Bauer; sisters, Dorothy (Russell) Campbell and Charlotte (Jack) Edwards; and daughter Thea Littlefield.

Survivors include his wife; daughters Tena (Byron) Kautz of Denver and Lisa (Jack) Seeber of Parker; sons, Tim (Anna) Bauer of Atlanta, Georgia, Skip (Beverly) Maxwell of Littleton, Todd (Masayo) Maxwell of Okinawa, Japan, and Kent (Amy) Maxwell of Maysville; 14 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

No services are planned.

Memorial contributions may be made to Colorado Firecamp, 9008 CR 240, Salida, CO 81201.

Arrangements are with Lewis and Glenn Funeral Home in Salida.

Online condolences may be offered at lewisandglenn.com.

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