Richard Bauman

June 19, 1933 — February 19, 2026

Richard Randolph Bauman (Dick, Randy, Plant) came into this world on July 28, 1933, exceptionally fortunate to be born in the United States of America, state of West Virginia, city of Charleston. His loving parents were Muriel, a portrait artist, and Carl, treasurer of a group of gas companies.

In 1939, the family moved to New York, where Carl's new job was with the Columbian Carbon Company. They lived in Scarsdale, suburb of New York City, where Dick attended school through 12th grade, followed by matriculation at Wesleyan University, a small, all-male liberal arts school in Middletown, Connecticut.Dick majored in English, enjoyed intramural sports, wrote sports for the campus paper, played freshman basketball and was a brother of Delta Tau Delta.

Following graduation, Dick was employed briefly as a retail management trainee by Sears in Fall River, Mass., resigned and on returning home stopped at Wesleyan for Spring house parties. There he met Peg Dole, managed to wrest her from her date (a practice known as bird-dogging) and drove her to her home in Scarsdale.They were engaged three months later. In the interim, Dick received his draft notice to report for duty July 1st, 1956. He was inducted at Fort Dix, N.J., and assigned to infantry basic training at Fort Knox, Ky. After basic, he was assigned to clerk-typist school.Peg and Dick were married, October 13 and again October 21, 1956. (That's a whole other story.) Dick was called out of clerk typist school, offered a special assignment to an unknown location (not Korea), which he accepted. That turned out to be English-language instructor to new inductees in Puerto Rico. Peg joined him there, where they spent 18 months and bore their first child, Lisa, prematurely, in Rodriguez Army Hospital.

Back in the States, Dick was discharged from active duty, and went to work for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company in offices in the NY Metropolitan area and Long Island. Over time, as the family grew to four children – Lisa, Dave, Ken and Erik – they moved from an apartment in Yonkers to houses on Long Island in Levittown, Central Islip and Stony Brook.

Dick retired from Liberty after 37 years and he and Peg moved to Blacksburg, VA in July, 1995. They carried their Presbyterian tradition with them, but in honor of their son, Erik, who was gay, left that tradition and its non-recognition of full gay rights, and joined the welcoming Unitarian Universalist Congregation of the New River Valley.In retirement, Dick enjoyed playing tennis at the Virginia Tech Tennis Center. He and Peg were part of the Big Brother/Big Sister programs, worked at the Food Bank and were teachers' assistants at an elementary school. Dick was an Elder in the Presbyterian Church and on Session at the UUC. Both were active on church committees. They traveled to various national parks, including Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon; and visited the west coast, with many trips to Florida to see Dick's retired parents and Peg's dad.

In 2008, Peg contracted an illness, clostridium difficile, which went undiagnosed in time, and resulted in her death. Erik was afflicted with ALS, and had moved to Blacksburg with his partner. He died in March, 2009, after five years of increasing paralysis. These devastating losses were met with wonderful support from family and friends.

Surviving members of the immediate family are daughter Lisa, now living in Blacksburg, her son Kip, his wife Misty, and their daughters Morgan and Madison; and son Dave, his daughter Katrina, her husband Matt, and son Chris and his wife Jess; and son Ken and his wife Robin.Other loved family members are nephews Fred Bauman and Dr. Dave Bauman, niece Jane Bauman and their families. Sister-in-law Pat Dole and her daughter Deirdre and son Peter and their families are loved survivors.

A memorial service will be held on March 7th at 2 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Blacksburg, VA.

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Saturday, March 7, 2026

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Richard Bauman

June 19, 1933 — February 19, 2026

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