ROBERT W BAUMAN

Commander Robert Walter Bauman, USN (Ret.) – December 22, 1920 – April 10, 2018
One of my father's friends summed it up perfectly-- Robert ("Bob") Bauman was a remarkable man. He lived a long and full life to age 97 when his heart finally gave up, shortly after his wife Caroline died. He passed peacefully, attended by family.
Bob was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of German immigrants Otto and Anna Bauman, and is survived by his sister Esther who lives in Texas. When he was young, his parents moved to Springfield, Ohio, where he grew up. He was married twice, to Marilyn ("Andy") for over 50 years and after Andy passed, to Caroline for 11 years, and loved and took care of both of them. With his wife Andy, he raised 2 children, Pamela and Christine, and mourned Pamela's passing before her time. He is survived by Christine and his pampered granddaughter Sabrina.
After graduating from Wittenberg University in Ohio with a degree in chemistry/biology, he attended University of Wisconsin for courses in biochemistry and US Naval Postgraduate School for his MS in Physics. He joined the US Navy in 1944, serving in the SW Pacific at the end of World War II. After a 4-year stint as a US Naval Reserve Officer, he alternated between ship duty (Charleston, SC, and Long Beach, CA) and shore duty (Washington, DC). He had several ship commands. As commander of the USS Observer and later a minesweeper division, he participated in the John Glenn splashdown and Dominican Republic crisis. As commander of the LSD USS Tortuga, he carried troops to Vietnam. Shore duty included liaison work on the staff of the Joint Services and Secretary of Defense. After retiring from the Navy, he went back to school for training as a computer programmer, working at Ensco, Inc., and living in Reston, Virginia. In 1987, Bob retired from Ensco and moved to Sarasota with his wife Andy. After Andy passed in 1997, he courted and married Caroline, once a neighbor in Reston. Caroline passed on March 22 of this year and Bob followed her not long after on April 10.
Bob had many interests and talents. In college, he was a member of the fencing team and first violin in the orchestra. He loved music – opera, classical, musicals, Gershwin, Cole Porter, Rogers and Hart, and their compatriots. Bob enjoyed collecting original art at local galleries and art fairs. His favorite gallery was the Wyeth museum in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. He enjoyed traveling – overseas, visiting Japan, Greece and France – and the United States, especially Maine and Pennsylvania. Every move was a cross-country adventure with family and assorted pets, visiting various national parks and other places of interest. Bob was an avid photographer, crossword puzzler and reader. He enjoyed science fiction and romance/adventure novels by such authors as C.S. Forester (Horatio Hornblower series), Nevil Shute and James Hilton. He loved old movies in the same vein like "Robin Hood" with Errol Flynn and "Prisoner of Zenda" with Ronald Coleman, westerns with Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne, and fantasy like "Harvey" with Jimmy Stewart and "It Happens Every Spring" with Ray Milland. Bob played a mean game of Monopoly, cribbage and poker. Bob enjoyed taking his friends and family to different restaurants at home and on vacations. He loved a good dinner and especially a good dessert! He enjoyed sailing in the Chesapeake on a 25-foot Hansa; unfortunately, his family was not quite as enthusiastic, although Perky the family dog loved it! Bob loved dogs and there was always one or two in the family, cocker spaniels being his favorite. He loved long walks on Siesta Key beach with his wife and friends. Being a Navy man, he found it hard to stop working and he gave generously of his time and resources to several charities and volunteered for several years at Gulf Gate library and with the AARP tax assistance program.
Last, but not least, he loved his puns and "Dad jokes," and never failed to get a chuckle or an "Oh, Bob" from his friends and "Oh, Dad" from his family who will miss him very much. Per his wishes, his ashes will be scattered at sea and his best memorial will be the fond memories of those who knew and loved him. I will always remember my Dad for his strong sense of honor and obligation to take care of others in both his career and private life, and for his romantic and idealistic heart.