- Date Of Birth: December 19, 1951
- Date Of Death: January 17, 2016
- State: Idaho
Christine “Chris” Lynn Bauer passed away on January 17, 2016, from complications associated with a knee surgery she underwent on December 29, 2015. Chris was only 64, with so much life in her that she was eager to get a new knee to continue pursuing her endless passions, friendships and her most important roles as wife, mother and grandmother, without pain. However, circumstances beyond any of our control and comprehension took her from ALL of us well before her infinite talent, wit, guidance and love was meant to extinguish.
Chris was born on December 19, 1951, in Boise, ID to Hazel and Harvey Hampton. She attended East Junior High School and graduated from Boise High School in 1970. While in high school she was well known for her talent as an artist. She met Anthony “Tony” James Bauer, a boy from Blackfoot, ID, during her senior year. The following was written in her senior yearbook, “Chris…stay with Tony. You’re a great couple.”
Chris and Tony married in Boise on March 13, 1971. They moved to Blackfoot, ID shortly after Chris completed her spring semester at Boise State College. In August, 1971, she gave birth to their first son, Jason. In 1974, they moved back to Boise briefly, then moved back to Blackfoot to manage the Bauer family farm. While in Blackfoot, Chris delivered two more boys to this world, Jeremy in January of 1975 and Joel in November of 1977. They moved back to Boise permanently in 1978, where they raised their three boys.
Chris was a stay-at-home mom from 1971-1990. Loosely defined, “stay-at-home mom” means that she did everything in her power to help facilitate the dreams of her children while simultaneously being a loving wife and satiating her artistic passions by creating and selling her art and craft work.
In 1990 Chris started working as a seamstress at Buck’s Bags where she worked until her passing. Chris’ talent and technical sewing prowess quickly elevated her to the role of head seamstress. Her leadership, ingenuity and creativity can be seen from the Kevlar vests worn by Ada County Sheriff’s Deputies and the radio packs worn by hotshots and smoke jumpers to the sidelines of high school, college and NFL football games. Most recently she was responsible for co-designing a ball bag for the NFL to help eliminate the ball management issues associated with “Deflate Gate”. Not a weekend of football goes by without the sighting of one of Chris’ creations on the sidelines.
Chris valued her quiet time before work where she could talk with her friends via social media. She took advantage of her time after work by reading, landscaping, escaping on bowling trips with her friends and championing the arts at local theaters.
Chris is survived by her husband, Tony, her son Jason and his wife, Laci, and two sons, Axel and Nico; her son Jeremy and his wife Kelly and son Braxton; and her son Joel and his wife Debbie and their two sons, Copen and Clay. She is also survived by her sister Ruth Reed and her husband Huey and her brother Buzz Colby. Finally, Chris’ cat, Sugar, is keeping Chris’ seat warm and showering Tony with the unconditional love that can only come from a beloved pet.
