Marshall Bautz

1926 - 2023

Marshall William Bautz, 97, of Scotts Valley, California, passed away peacefully on May 7, 2023. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on March 10, 1926, to Marshall and Eleanor (Klebenow) Bautz. His irrepressible enthusiasm for life, relentless curiosity, abiding faith, kindness and generous spirit sustain those who loved him. Marshall is survived by his sister Elynn Lee Bautz of Milwaukee, daughter Barbara Jane Bautz and son-in-law Thomas Eagle of Scotts Valley, son Marshall (Mark) William Bautz and daughter-in-law Melinda Walker of Lexington, Massachusetts, grandchildren Sarah, David, and Benjamin, and five great-grandchildren. Marshall grew up in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin. As a high school senior, he was awarded the top mathematics prize from the State of Wisconsin. Graduating from high school during World War II, he entered the Navy's war-time officer's training (V-12) program, which required continuous year-round college study, along with military training. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering in 1946 and was commissioned shortly afterwards as an Ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve. Throughout his life, Marshall was very proud of his service in the Navy. After the war, Marshall returned to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for graduate work. At a meeting of the Lutheran Student Association, he met Thora Sofia Haaland, and fell head over heels in love. He proposed marriage to Thora in 1946 and they were married in 1949. In 1950, they welcomed their daughter Barbara just before Marshall earned his PhD. in Biochemical Engineering. At the age of 24, he was the youngest person to earn a Ph.D. in his field at UW.In June 1950, Marshall began a career in the pharmaceutical industry. Their son Mark was born in January 1952, in Parkersburg, West Virginia. A year later the family settled in the Chicago area, where they remained until their children left home. Marshall and Thora were always very active members of their church community. Marshall was a popular Luther League leader, Chi Rho Society teacher (Sunday School for Teens) and was instrumental in engaging their church in the Civil Rights movement. Eager for new experiences with the children in college, and to cultivate his growing interest in the art of humane management, Marshall accepted executive roles for pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms in New Jersey, the Caribbean, and eventually, Palo Alto. Upon moving to Scotts Valley in 1979, Marshall fell in love with the redwoods, the Santa Cruz mountains and what he came to call "the Santa Cruz lifestyle." Ever active in the Lutheran church, they first joined Christ Lutheran in Aptos, then became founding members of the Light-of-Life congregation in Scotts Valley, joined St. Stephen's Church in Live Oak and then attended Christ Lutheran Church.Thora and Marshall were adventurous and traveled the world, enjoying good wine, good food, and especially, scenic beauty. Norway was a frequent destination, and they made many visits to Arendal, where Thora was born and where many of her relatives reside to this day.Marshall adored and was devoted to his family, grandchildren and great grandchildren and spent as much time with them as he could. He deployed his engineering skills to build many treehouses and an assortment of child-sized castles, planes, trains and automobiles in which to play with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.Marshall was a builder. He loved carpentry and designed and personally built elaborate renovations and additions for each house he owned, almost always without recourse to professional help or the oversight of local authorities. As a matter of principle, he saw to home repair and maintenance himself whenever possible, and sometimes on other occasions as well. After his retirement, Marshall organized and managed three distinct monthly discussion groups focusing respectively on anthropology, philosophy and science. For each group, he advertised via monthly flyers and recruited speakers. As a church member, Marshall was active in the Communities Organized for Relational Power in Action (COPA).Through Thora's work in literacy education training starting in 1979, Marshall and Thora were staunch supporters and volunteer leaders of the Santa Cruz Volunteer Center. After Thora's passing in 2007, Marshall devoted himself to the Volunteer Center, playing a key role in fund-raising for its new quarters on 17th Avenue. In 2016, Marshall received a "Be the Difference" Award for his outstanding service to the Volunteer Center and to the community.Eventually Marshall found love again, marrying Sylvia Previtali in 2014. Theirs was a joyous but all too short relationship. He grew very fond of Sylvia's children, Jonathan Previtali and Amanda Martinez, and enjoyed spending time with them and their families. Sylvia passed away in January, 2023, after a long illness.A memorial service will be held September 23 at Christ Lutheran Church, Aptos, at 1:00 pm. A reception will follow. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the Santa Cruz Volunteer Center ( https://scvolunteercenter.org/ ) or to Christ Lutheran Church, Aptos ( https://www.aptoschurch.org/ ).