“She left us the roadmap, as it relates to how to be compassionate and how to be caring,” said Eloise Broner, former president of Good Samaritan.
She died March 13 at Grandview Medical Center in Dayton. A memorial Mass is planned at 10:30 a.m. April 17 at Immaculate Conception Church.
Community members reached out to the Dayton Daily News to share the impact she had on their lives and the broader community since she came to Dayton in 1967.
Bauer taught religion and math at St. Joseph Commercial for seven years when she first came to the area. Then from 1974 until 1988, she served at St. Francis of Assisi in Centerville.
Most notably, Bauer served at Good Samaritan and became the hospital’s first-ever vice president of mission effectiveness. She retired in 2019 after 30 years with the hospital.
“Very often with employees and their families from the institutions in which she worked, Carol extended herself beyond what was ever required. If there was a need, she met it. If someone was hurting, she was there to help,” said life-long friend Sister Suzanne Donovan
She advised leadership inside and outside the hospital. She encouraged new employees. She often called people “kid” and “kiddo” as terms of endearment, even if they were similar age or older.
“I remember this one employee couldn’t do their job anymore because they couldn’t physically do the work, but Sister Carol found them a desk job,” said Michael Montgomery, former Good Sam chaplain who now works at Miami Valley Hospital. “It didn’t matter who you were, if she reached out or if you reached out to her, her goal was always to help you.”
Laura Roesch, chief executive at Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley, said Bauer was someone who could be trusted to advise on an ethical decision. She could ask the tough questions, think through all the angles, and had the community knowledge to know the details.
Because she had so many relationships in Dayton, Roesch said Bauer was also able to make the connections to get projects done.
“She just was this anchor of relationships that went across sectors and across institutions and across the whole community without regard to faith or political perspective,” Roesch said.
The hospital and health care for the poor and underserved were her mission for decades. Her obituary stated that Bauer witnessed many changes in the health care ministry over her three decades at Good Samaritan and that she was often challenged with the realities of the economic situation and the pain of illness as to how best to offer quality care while remembering the mission to provide care for all people in need.
As parent company Premier Health closed Good Samaritan in phases in 2018 and then it was torn down, Sister Carol shepherded the religious items to new homes and guided taking down the chapel. She came to the community meetings in the aftermath and talked with residents at the forums.
She is survived by sisters Jean Geers and Rose Koch, brothers Jerry and Ed Bauer, many nieces and nephews, and the Sisters of Charity community.
Over the years she had assumed leadership roles as chair of the Catholic Social Services board, United Way board, Dayton AIDS Resource Center board, National Conference for Community and Justice, Brunner Literacy Center and the Phoenix Project. She helped establish the AIDS Foundation, Miami Valley Task Force, bringing the hospital to provide collaborative support services to those living with AIDS and their families.
Sister Pat Hayden, president of the Sisters of Charity, said Bauer’s ministry in the Dayton area truly expanded over her 30 years.
“Sister Carol was a strong community advocate for supporting and collaborating with other not-for-profit agencies to serve the people’s needs, whether they were a patient in the hospital or helping them with basic needs, such as trying to find a better job to support their families,” Hayden said.
Memorial Mass
A memorial mass will be held for Sister Carol Bauer at 10:30 a.m. April 17 at Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Church, 2300 Smithville Road, Dayton. Masks and social distancing are required. The service will be livestreamed at youtube.com/user/imedayton/live.
Memories and condolences can be shared to Sister Teresa Dutcher 5900 Delhi Road Mount St. Joseph, OH 45051. Memorial contributions may be made in Sister Carol’s name to Sisters of Charity Retirement Fund 5900 Delhi Road Mount St. Joseph, OH 45051, or to Good Samaritan Foundation - Dayton 31 Wyoming St., Dayton, OH 45409.
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