James (Jim) Bernard Bauck passed away unexpectedly on April 17, 2023, at the age of 86. He is survived by his partner, his best friend, his wife, Doris; his daughter Rhonda and Lonnie Ens; his son Gene and Dana; his son Lynn and Chris. Papa Jim will also be missed by his grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Kallie Bauck; Brodie Bauck and Tammy Kowalko and their children Bentley, Corbin and Courtney; Deziree and Donald Hampton and their children Hudson, Braya and Rowan; Dakota Bauck and Grady Ens and Dana’s sons Denver Siever and his children Peyton and Nixon and Dorian and Chelsea Siever and their sons Finn and Jedsen. He will also be remembered by his special nephew Murray and Anita Bauck and their daughters Brooke and Bethany; his niece Bev Becker and Ron Thiessen; his nephew Les and Lorraine Becker and their family and his sister-in-law Ann Bauck. Jim was predeceased by his parents Melvin and Mary (Doell) Bauck; his brother Gary; his sister-in-law, Donalda; his nephew Clinton Bauck and his sister-in-law and brother-in-law Frieda and Fred Becker.
Jim was born on December 4, 1936, at Mrs. Heihei’s house in Chaplin, SK. He grew up on a farm north of Chaplin and lived almost his entire life in the Chaplin area. He attended school in Chaplin. While in school - Jim was at a track and field meet and took notice of a girl from Uren, SK - Doris Guse. The two began dating and on October 3, 1958, they eloped and were married in Maple Creek, SK. She was 18 and he was 21. They often said that when they first got married, they had nothing and everything they had was because of hard work. This October, they would have celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary. Their family expanded when Rhonda was born in October 1959; Gene in February 1961 and was completed with the arrival of Lynn (or Pete which is the nickname his dad gave him when he was very young) in November 1962.
In 1977 - Jim and Doris made their dream come true. They built a new house and created an acreage at Uren, SK. Dad was elated to have more dogs, more cats, chickens, and horses. They had a large garden and a beautiful yard. They lived here for over 45 years and loved every minute of it. Following school, he worked for the Department of Highways and then worked at Saskatchewan Minerals for over 30 years. He held various positions and retired in 1994 at the age of 58.
Jim from the time he was a young boy until the day he passed - he had a love for animals, especially dogs and cats. Over the years many strays suddenly or mysteriously appeared and were nursed back to health and ended up being his pets.
Jim also liked sports, especially hockey and ball. In his lifetime - he would have many favourite hockey players. However, there were two that were his all-time favourites - his sons. It was busy times, and the hockey season always began with the garden plot in the back yard being turned into the family rink. There were many games of hockey and shiny with Gene and Lynn taking on Jim and Rhonda. He coached them, he cheered them on and was especially happy when in later years they played together again.
Later in life, Jim and Doris were often seen at the rinks watching their three grandsons Brodie, Dakota and Grady and pitching in whenever they needed a ride to practice or games. He was also very proud of their efforts but said they weren’t quite as good as his boys. Jim also liked ball, especially fastball. He was a pitcher and a good one. Many a weekend the family spent attending local ball tournaments. Later - Jim and Doris could be found watching their grandson Dakota play ball. Dad was very proud of his ability and often said - what a ball player! He was also proud of the granddaughters - Kallie had become a teacher and Deziree was a nurse and he often said that they were good at their jobs.
Each summer - Jim and Doris would load up the car (with no air conditioning) with the kids, the pet dog and go on a holiday. By today’s standards - they were very simple but the memories they made were endless. When the big yard and the big house got to be too much - Jim and Doris made the difficult decision to move off the place they had created and loved. They moved to Morse in July 2022. The week leading up to his passing - Dad was having health issues and they made the decision that they would have to look at moving into a home. Dad made it very clear that he never wanted to end up in a nursing home. Frankly, we his family, don’t think there is a home that would have been ready for Jim Bauck! He would have hated it and he would have made sure that everyone knew that. He got his wish and passed away at his home in Morse the day before they were going to look. He kept his sense of humour until the end. Just hours before his passing - he was joking with all his kids. He wasn’t perfect but to the very end he honored those vows that he made to Doris almost 65 years ago and looked after her, loved her and protected her.
In keeping with Jim’s wishes (orders) - there will be no funeral service. As an expression of sympathy donations in Jim’s name may be made to the Chaplin Civic Centre or the Chaplin Swimming Pool.
Arrangements entrusted to Warren's Funeral Home, for further information please call 1-306-773-8831 or 1-800-267-6606, or visit our website at www.warrensfuneralhome.com, and express your sympathy to family members on the tribute wall.