Randy A. Bauer

On December 10th 1949 in Mitchell, South Dakota, Randall Allen Bauer was born to loving parents Vera and Delbert Bauer. He grew up with his amazing sister, Deanna (Gene) Long & loving brothers Leonard, Dave (Cheryl), and Gary.

As a family they moved around a lot which instilled in him a need to seek out adventure! One of his favorite adventures as a child was fishing; a love he carried his whole life. In school he particularly loved running, eventually winning the Wyoming State Mile Championship for Casper Wyoming’s Kelly Walsh High School. He took great pride in that title and his running accomplishments his entire life. He was also awarded a Track and Field scholarship to the University of Utah. Early on in his college career, his love for adventure called him to join the Navy. While his love of running continued there, the Navy began an all new chapter of his life.

He was fortunate to have his best friend, Rich Bain, who enlisted in the Navy with Randy on the same day. Randy’s experience in the Navy proved to be a lifelong blessing that helped carry him through life and introduced him to his primary career in aviation.

After the Navy, his adventurous spirit found him on a blind date where he was introduced to Casey, his future wife. They were engaged within 3 weeks of meeting and in time they enthusiastically welcomed two incredible children, Bridget (Jeremy) and Travis (Niharika). This opened up a new world of Fatherhood; the title which Randy cherished most in life.

Randy’s lifelong love of airplanes and his Navy experience with avionics and A&P allowed him to maintain a successful career in aviation. The way he described his aviation career brought a huge smile to his face and a light in his eyes when he would exclaim: “My job is to keep planes in the air!” In the avionics world he met a lot of lifelong friends and literally traveled the world. His career in aviation was the adventure of a lifetime and he kept his hand in the field any way he could even as his health began to deteriorate.

From his humble roots in the small towns of the Midwest to his successful and respected career in aviation, he experienced so much that life had to offer and was never afraid to try new things. While his aviation career was mostly in Salt Lake City, it also took him coast to coast living for a time in the San Francisco Bay area, Virginia, and a couple other places in between. He had an entrepreneurial spirit and dabbled in flipping houses, opening a pizza business (Mercury Pizza and Shakes), and making sure he was always the go-to “fix it” man for his entire family. Once he set his mind to something, he could bring it to life and achieve whatever he wanted.

The curse of cancer was his last adventure and the most torturous. Even that adventure had a silver lining; it found him re-establishing a relationship with his loving “P.I.T.A” (“Pain in the ass”; a term Casey endearingly coined herself) and gave him time to rebuild his relationship with his daughter and son. He was also the recipient of a new title “Poppy” at the birth of his grandson! This title was likely a close second to “Dad” and was gifted by his energetic grandson, Cullen.

Randy loved fiercely, and was eager to experience as much of life as he could with the many things he pursued. His friends and family, both immediate and extended, especially including all of his nieces and nephews, were his greatest pride and joy.

After a long and courageous battle, cancer took him on May 20th 2025 while he was at home, where he hoped to be for his final days. He’s on to the next great adventure and Heaven has truly been blessed.

Predeceased by parents Delbert and Vera, and his brother Dave.

A Celebration of Life will be on Friday, June 20, 2025 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Starks Funeral Parlor, 3651 South 900 East, Salt Lake City. Guests are encouraged to use the parking on the north side of the building.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Huntsman Cancer Institute at https://thehuntsman.org/give