Virginia Poole Bauer A Westfield Woman
They left Westfield over a decade ago but the Robert and Virginia Bauer Annex to the YMCA on East Broad Street is a lasting tribute.
Virginia Poole Bauer lived for more than a century before passing away on February 18, 2024, at the age of 102. She was predeceased, seven years earlier, by her husband, Robert John Bauer, at age 97. Their marriage lasted 74 years.
She leaves behind three children, four grandchildren, and three great- grandchildren. Her great-grandchildren provided a special joy to her in the final years, which were spent in Meadow Ridge of Redding, Connecticut.
Her children and their spouses were George and Barbara Bauer, Nancy and Len Howell, and Rick and Bert Bauer. Barbara predeceased her in 2023. She has four grandchildren and two spouses: Jessica Howell and Karl Schmitz, Kim Howell, Dustin Howell and Alex Frizzell, and Andrew Whitehill. There are also three great-grandchildren: Maddie and Juliana Schmitz and Thalia Howell.
She was born in 1921 in Westfield, N.J., the first child of Raymond and Bertha Poole. Four years later, a younger brother followed, also named Raymond.
Virginia lived through many national crises. Before she was born, her father and many uncles served in World War I. The Great Depression impacted her childhood when her father briefly lost his job, causing financial insecurity. She saw her brother and husband ship off for World War II.
She grew up in upstate New York, advancing two semesters and earning a scholarship to Cornell, fulfilling her father’s ambition for her. She was excited by the social activities there and soon met the irrepressible Bob Bauer, who quickly set his sights on marrying her. He was two years ahead, graduated and started a career, while she finished college.
World War II intervened, and they were wed on Christmas Day of 1942, the only day that he could get leave from the Army. They spent their first years touring the United States to bases where he learned the airplanes he would need to service and she picked up teaching assignments.
Her first child, George, was born in 1945 while Robert was still overseas and Virginia was living with her parents. He returned and they set up their household in New Jersey, close to his family. Robert soon took over a small electrical contracting business, Electrical Installations, Inc., and turned it into one of the leaders in one of the great industrial states of the post-war era. Nancy was born in 1950 and Rick completed the family in 1955. They located their young family on Longfellow Avenue in Westfield and then on to Wyandotte Trail. Virginia focused her energies on raising the family throughout the 1950s and 1960s. She also enjoyed playing bridge and golf, and belonging to the Echo Lake Country Club and the Presbyterian Church.
She enjoyed the freedom offered when her last child left home, becoming a world traveler. They added a second home in Florida for the Winter months. When the grandchildren arrived in the 1980s, there were very frequent trips to Connecticut.
It was with extreme regret that she gave up her longtime residence on Wyandotte Trail to join the retirement community Meadow Ridge. They became active and popular members of that community, joining in many bridge groups and other social activities. She was able to remain active for a few years after Robert’s passing.
Age then took its toll, but she was able to enjoy the frequent visits of her family and the care of a group of dedicated aides right until the end.
August 15, 2024
