Mill Valley, California

Liese Bauer’s life journey was an epic one, spanning continents and generations, and always filled with love for family, friends, and the arts. She passed away peacefully from natural causes at the age of 97 on January 19, 2025, in her home in Mill Valley. Born Lieselotte Erna Lore Claus in Berlin, Germany, she grew up with her younger brother Werner in Danzig, raised by their mother Helena and aunts Siesa and Lola. Family and close friends called her Golli, a diminutive of Goeldchen, for her blond hair.

After World War II she fled as a refugee to what was then West Germany. She attended medical school to become an anesthesiologist and met her future husband Henning Bauer during her residency in Hamburg. Henning emigrated to America, she followed, and they were married in Wichita, Kansas on May 1, 1957. They moved to Cleveland, then San Francisco, before settling in Mill Valley in 1961. They had five children, Walter, Martin, Chris, Julie, and Jennifer. Family was the focus of Liese's life, and she spent countless hours reading to her children, taking them to music and other lessons, driving to the pool in the "Mother mobile", and taking the family to their summer cabin on the Russian River. She was active in the PTA, presiding as president for several years. She was also fond of crocheting and compiling photo albums.

Henning and Liese were avid readers and filled the house with books. Liese was a member of several book clubs and treasured the friends she made there. She was also a fanatical bridge enthusiast, competing in duplicate bridge tournaments and enjoying contract bridge with her good friends.

Henning and Liese loved music and had a vast collection of LP's and then CD's. They had season tickets to the San Francisco Symphony and Opera. In addition, Liese was the classical music version of a Deadhead, a Wagnerphile, and would travel the country to different cities hosting Wagner's Ring Cycle. She was president for many years of the Wagner Society of Northern California and made several pilgrimages to the Bayreuth Festspiele.

Liese was predeceased by Henning in 2014 and is survived by her five children, her son-in-law Ron Kelly, her granddaughter-in-law Amelia (Knoff) Kelly; her eight grandchildren Barrett, Henning, Scottie, Jack, Sophia, Jacob, Wil, and Dash; and her great grandchild Tosia.