Dorothy E. Bauerle

Dorothy Edythe Bauerle September 15, 1933-March 6, 2024 A native of Buffalo, NY and life-long resident of the Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda area, Dorothy Edythe Bauerle, nee Bruso, was born on September 15, 1933 and was the eldest child of World War One U.S. Navy veteran John Clark Bruso and Isabelle Edith Sophie Johanna Frank, known as "Mudder." Dorothy's paternal grandfather was head of the Combined Erie County Draft Boards in the First World War and Spanish-American War veteran C. Frank Bruso, M.D. Dorothy's paternal grandmother was Dr. Bruso's first wife, Katherine Hanbach, daughter of 11th Ward Alderman John Hanbach. Her great-grandfather was Octave Bruso, a native of LaPrairie, Quebec and four year veteran of the Union Army in the Civil War (1861-1865), who began his service in Company G of the 5th Missouri Infantry Regiment before transferring to Company E of the 50th NY Engineers. Dorothy's paternal great-grandfather was Buffalo 11th Ward Alderman John Conrad Hanbach, who was half-owner of a Buffalo factory known as 'Hanbach and Sauer.' Her paternal great-grandmother was Katherine Forness, the daughter of French immigrants from Metz, which owned around 100 acres of land in the area now occupied in part by Amherst High School. Dorothy's maiden name, Bruso, reflected a change in spelling from the original French name of 'Brosseau,' and the family hailed from Nantes. Denis Brosseau arrived in the Montreal area in the 1660's. The family then moved in the 1850's to a heavily French area of Illinois, Kankakee-Bourbonnais. The move to the United States may have been sparked by the Great Fire of 1852, which destroyed approximately half of Montreal's housing. On Dorothy's mother's side her grandparents were Charles Frank and Johanna Margaret Hackemer, of German descent and both born in Buffalo, NY. Dorothy attended Washington Elementary School and Kenmore Junior High School graduating in 1948, and Kenmore High School, from which she graduated in June of 1951. Dorothy from an early age possessed a very creative and optimistic nature, both of which were captured at the age of 5 in a poetry anthology called 'Chasing the Stars ' published by the Kenmore Public Schools in June 1939. Dorothy's contribution was called 'Rain' and reads: 'The rain is dripping down from the clouds, the flowers will come out, then the rain will stop, and the sun will come out .' In June 1947 another one of Dorothy's contributions was again published and her poetic duality was revealed in 'Dreams,' written when Dorothy was in the 8th grade: 'When at night, I go to bed, Many strange thoughts come into my head, Once, I was a pirate bold, hunting for a chest of gold. Then a princess, shy and sweet, With many men at my feet. Another time, I was a mouse, Living in a haunted house .' As a young woman Dorothy was very involved with activities at St. Pauls Episcopal Cathedral. During High School, Dorothy met her future husband, Richard Carl Bauerle, at the Deco's Restaurant at Delaware and Westgate in Kenmore. The couple would stay together until Richard's death on August 30, 2008 after 56 years of marriage. During Richards final illness, which saw him lose both legs to diabetes, Dorothy was with him daily at Kenmore Mercy Hospital, always putting her own life on hold as her mother did when caregiving for her father at the family home on Mang Avenue in Kenmore, which was the scene of many Memorial Day family gatherings. Back to earlier years, after being drafted into the U.S. Army, the young and very muscular Richard entered the Armed Forces in August, 1951. While being personally opposed to American involvement in such a remote land, Richard believed it was important to do his duty for his country. But distance would not separate the young lovers as they married at Fort Smith, Arkansas on October 19, 1951, prior to Richard being sent via troop ship to Japan and then onto the Korean War. Dorothy and her future in-laws, Carl Augustus Bauerle and his wife Klara Bauerle (nee Schrade) made the 1,200 mile ride via automobile, and were sickened by the blatant racism and segregation they witnessed. Richard and his best Army buddy Luther would laugh when the drill instructor mispronounced the word "debris" as "debbriss." Upon Richard's honorable discharge the young family set up house on Thackeray Court in what was then known as the Sheridan Projects in the Town of Tonawanda, and raised son Richard G. Bauerle and twins William "Billy" and Barbara Bauerle. Dorothy often recounted the stories of life in the Sheridan Projects, where it was necessary to place a heavy bucket of coal over a hole in the bathroom floor to prevent rats from scampering over the sleeping family, and Dorothy was adorned with the nickname 'Bruto.' While not Roman Catholic, the family had strong ties to Saint Andrews and its many community and athletic programs and at the end of her life Dorothy was very saddened by the news of the church in dire financial difficulty. Upon saving enough money to move from The Projects, the family moved to Colonial Avenue across the street from Richards parents. In 1965, the family bought its final home on Calvin CT N, close to Kenmore East Senior and Brighton Elementary School. Dorothy did not learn how to drive or be licensed to do so until the early 1970's, and Dorothy enjoyed her 70's Ford Torino and Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale. In the late 1970's, Dorothy reconnected with her spiritual past and became an active member of St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church and volunteered for decades at the Episcopal Church home. When the political schisms arose in the Episcopal denomination, Dorothy joined the Anglican wing and followed St. Bartholomew's to the building which had housed part of Temple Beth-El, which dated back to 1847 as the first Jewish congregation in the Buffalo area. Dorothy derived much comfort and made many, many close friends through her involvement with St. Bartholomew's Anglican Church. While remaining a registered Democrat on the voter rolls, her support of that party dwindled to nothing as she saw the party become increasingly left-wing extremist. Dorothy had a very eclectic appreciation of music with a special fondness for classical Bach, Chopin and Mozart's 'Requiem in D Minor.' Tchaikovsky's '1812 Overture' and frequently played those masterpieces. But Dorothy also loved Queen, and after she heard 'Bohemian Rhapsody' for the first time on the radio bought the 'Night at the Opera' album. She also enjoyed Bob Dylan, although the first time she heard him asked, 'Who is that drunk guy singing?' Dorothy much enjoyed Dylan's 'Ballad in Plain D.' Dorothy also enjoyed the Rolling Stones, Simon and Garfunkel and The Beatles. Songs like Donovan's 'Mellow Yellow' were known to have been played by Dorothy at high volume. As a child during the Second World War, Dorothy and her friends enjoyed singing along to Spike Jones' 'Der Fhrer's Face' knowing all the time the flatulent meaning of the song. Dorothy very much enjoyed sitting close to the stage at Simon and Garfunkel's June 17, 2004 Buffalo performance and was thrilled by Paul McCartney's 2015 Buffalo concert. Dorothy even enjoyed country music and in the late 1970's rarely missed a performance by local band Kenny Gunn and the Pistols, in which her son Richard 'Dick' Bauerle was a guitarist. Dorothy enjoyed traveling greatly. In 1967 the family took its only trip as a complete unit, and rented a cottage on Lake Erie near Port Colborne. Dorothy and Richard also took trips to Plymouth, MA and the further drive to the tip of Cape Cod at Provincetown for its whale-watching, as well as Cooperstown and Canton, Ohio. In the late 80's and 90's Dorothy enjoyed trips to the UK as well as Italy with church friends. Dorothy always wanted to visit Israel and The Holy Land. For a brief time as a young lady Dorothy worked as an operator for the telephone company but enjoyed her roles of mother, housewife and church volunteer. Dorothy only rarely missed sporting events in which her sons and husband were engaged. Even as a little girl growing up in the Village of Kenmore, Dorothy had a fondness for cats. Her first was named 'Mitzi' which was short for 'Mittens' due to the paw markings. In the 1980's, Dorothy somehow convinced Richard that he too would enjoy cats and they adopted gray striped tiger cat 'Beamer' from the SPCA Serving Erie County, and was followed by 'Bootsie,' a black Tuxedo cat and 'Miss Kitty' who always seemed to be at Richard's side. The family also had a dog named 'Butch' when living on Colonial Drive, and mongrel 'Alfie' who lived to 14. Dorothy enjoyed watching 'Alfie' harvest the Concord grape crop as a snack, was careful not to say the word 'walk' around him. When the word 'ball' was spoken, 'Alfie' jumped up at the old milk box where his toys were stored until the home was sided and frequently opened the milk box with his snout. Dorothy also kept a box turtle as a pet for decades Dorothy will remain in the hearts of family and friends as a kind, considerate and thoughtful woman who enriched the lives of everyone with whom she came into contact. Sadly, Dorothy had to bury one of her four children. William 'Billy' Bauerle died of cardiac issues on March 3, 2019. Dorothy was grateful for the love and support of the St. Bartholomew's Anglican Church community, and loving neighbors like Mike Hobel. Like members of her family, Dorothy had an offbeat sense of humor, but unfortunately many of her best lines would not be appropriate for this venue. She was a huge fan of George Carlin. For years, she would say that 'Dying isn't the worst thing you have to do, just the last.' When frustrated by the temperature vicissitudes of her menopausal years, Dorothy quipped that, 'Sometimes I think that life is just one big hot flash!' Her Christmas Eve family gatherings will never be forgotten. Dorothy died on March 6, 2024 at Hospice on Como Park BLVD. Dorothy's cremated remains will be buried with her husband Richard's, her parents and other family members at Elmlawn Cemetery in Tonawanda. Her shining soul will live on. Burial will be private. Dorothy is survived by a sister, Denise Connolly, widow of the late Edward. Her brother Donald died in 1999, survived by his widow Penny. Dorothy is also survived by children Richard Bauerle (Mary), Barbara Mattucci (Joe) and Tom Bauerle (Kerry), who served as her caregiver at the end of life. Dorothy is also survived by numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The family wishes to express its deepest gratitude to the staff of Hospice Buffalo who made Dorothy's final months as comfortable as possible. The family also appreciates the work of Father Arthur Ward at Saint Bartholomew's Anglican Church in administering the final prayers of the Anglican Church.