Mary Beth Bach

1950 - 2025

BORN

1950

DIED

2025

About

University of Northern Iowa

Mary Bach Obituary

Mary Beth Miller Bach, PhD., died on Monday, June 16, 2025 after a several year battle with Ovarian, Kidney, and Breast Cancer, and finally Liver Cirrhosis. She died at home in her sleep, next to her husband of fifty one years. She is survived by her husband, Dennis H Bach; sisters Susan Miller and Ann Warren, both of Des Moines, IA; son Jeremy Bach and wife Melissa Bach (Cedar Park, TX), four granddaughters, Ally, Savannah, Elizabeth, and Katelyn, three great grandsons Jasiah, Jeremiah, and Tyson; son Joshua Bach and Wife Melanie Bach (Allen, TX) and grandsons Austin and Travis; son Jonathon Bach and granddaughters Lainey and Lilah (Austin, TX); and son Jacob Bach and wife Sonia Carrillo (Dallas, TX).

Mary was born on January 31, 1950 in Rock Rapids, Iowa to Clayton and Lorlie Miller, and grew up in Gowrie, Iowa. After graduating from high school in 1968 she attended the University of Northern Iowa, obtaining a B.A. in education and meeting her future husband. She graduated in 3 ½ years, in December 1971, and moved to Des Moines to look for a teaching position. Dennis graduated in the Spring and on Memorial Day, 1972, he followed her to Des Moines and they began their life together. They were married on February 23, 1974. During their time in Des Moines, Mary taught pre-school, Kindergarten, and second grade, and gave birth to their four sons. In 1994, Dennis was offered a job in Texas, and the family pulled up their Iowa roots and moved to Austin. Mary soon began teaching again, first at Popham Elementary in Del Valle and then at Burnett Middle School in Austin. While at Popham, she was asked to work with Dyslexia students. Although she had no prior experience with Dyslexia, she began learning about it and it turned into a passion that she carried through the remainder of her career. She was a long time Board member of the Austin Area Branch of the International Dyslexia Association and served as the Board President for several years.

Around 2000, Mary began a Master's Degree Program at The University of Texas at Austin. After getting her Master of Education in August, 2002, she applied for the doctoral program there and was awarded a PhD. in Special Education in December, 2013. During those years, while teaching full time, raising four sons, and working on her PhD., she also found time to teach for Texas Teaching Fellows, mentoring new teachers. Mary retired from teaching at the end of the school year in 2015, but her plans to pursue a new career were interrupted by her cancer diagnosis. While receiving treatment she continued working with the Austin IDA Board, traveled with her husband and other family members, lavished love on her grandchildren, and gardened.

After learning of her death, dozens of friends, family, and former education colleagues commented on her professionalism, her dedication to and advocacy for her students, her wit, her gently sarcastic sense of humor, and her love for her family, especially the grandchildren and great grandchildren. She will be missed terribly but will remain in our hearts and memories forever.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Austin American-Statesman from Jun. 20 to Jun. 22, 2025.

Memories and Condolences
for Mary Bach

1 Entry

Elizabeth Miesch

June 23, 2025

Dr. Mary Bach was my mentor. I am indebted to her, more than any other educator, for making the most significant impact on my teaching. With four simple words, she helped me to change lives: "How do you know?" After embracing this question, (that Mary said I must ask, every day, without fail), I was able to catapult my students to greater heights. No matter what responses my students gave, I continually asked that same question. Of course, if my students had not responded using complete sentences, I required them to repeat their responses in complete sentences. If my students added any additional information to their responses, I continued with Mary's question, "How do you know?"
Mary, who worked on her doctorate while she worked fulltime as a Curriculum Specialist, inspired me to further my education. I asked her to write a letter of recommendation for me, and I earned my Master of Education, specializing in Reading. Wanting to be just like her, I continued the grueling work of teaching fulltime while working on my doctoral courses at night. After I completed my dissertation, I hunted Mary down to give her a copy, and I made her read the dedication page because her name was on it.
On the day I took and passed my exam to become a certified academic language therapist, I saw Mary selling Tshirts for ALTA at a dyslexia conference. She only had one left, but she didn't want to sell it to me. She said it was too big. I told her that it was perfect, and I had to have it. It's still my favorite Tshirt.
The next time I saw Mary, it was at a dyslexia conference at the University of Texas at Austin. She was volunteering at the registration table. Of course she was volunteering! Mary was a servant leader.
The last time I saw Mary, of course, it was at another dyslexia conference, and she served as the organizer and master of ceremonies. The presenter was wonderful, but Mary was just as funny and charming as ever. She made dry cracks like the actor, Bob Newhart, and she kept the educators in a packed auditorium feeling at ease. It was a tense time because it was at the start of the pandemic. The conference almost didn't happen because everyone was concerned about getting sick.
Sometimes people come into our lives and they make an impact. Mary was that person for me. I always felt that she was an angel on Earth. Anyone who knew Mary probably felt that same way.
Even though teaching was a huge part of her life, she valued her family above all else. She talked about her husband, her children, and her grandchildren all the time. I don't ever remember a time when she didn't work her family into the conversation. I could see the love she felt for them in her eyes.
I was very lucky to have known Mary, and every single one of my former students were lucky that I knew Mary, and all of my current students, and future students are lucky that I knew Mary.
I feel certain that Mary is still doing good work, but this time, her position is as an angel specialist in Heaven.
Thank you, Dr. Mary Bach! Thank you for letting me hang out in your office, drowning you in my questions, providing me with your thoughts, insights, and expertise. Thank you for being who you were. I hope to continue your work here on planet Earth because reading is for everyone.