VAUGHNDALEE BAUERKingman, KS

Vaughndalee Bauer, 95, died Dec. 4, 2025 at Wheatlands Health Care Center, Kingman.

Vonda, as she was known by was born April 20, 1930, in Pratt, Kansas to Clara Feldhut and Lester Cromer.  The family moved from Pratt to Kingman in 1944.  In 1945, at the age of 14, Miss Ethel Summers, the librarian  of the Kingman Public Library asked Vonda to review all the new books brought into the library due to her voracious reading habit.  She would read approximately twenty-five or more books every two weeks.  This habit stayed with her until two years ago.  It is estimated that she read at least 60,000 books in her lifetime.  Some that she really like, she read twice.  Now that she’s gone, we can say she kept track of the books she read by secretly marking them in pencil with her initials and a secret code mark if it was worth reading again.

She married Billy Bauer of Kingman on Aug. 11, 1949 in Hollywood, California on the radio program Bride and Groom.  They were one of the 1000 couples that were married on the show between 1945 and 1950.  It aired nationwide on the radio weeks after they married.  It must also be noted, when Bill proposed he did so with a ring and a canary.  She had canaries all her life.  Sometimes, up to three at the same time.

They had four children.  Vonda was a homemaker and was very active in various clubs and organizations.  Den mother for her boys in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts; Brownie and Girl Scout leader for her daughter.  She was always signed up as Room Mother at school for all her children.  The clubs were CWF, Hobby Club, Mother’s Club and Painting Classes.

She was a Master Gardner before that became a thing.  If you can plant it, she could grow it.  She took great pride in her yard, flower and vegetable gardens.  She would can her abundant harvest for the family to eat during the winter along with jams and her famous sand plumb jelly.

In 1976 Bill and Vonda purchased Walker’s Jewelry from Harold Walker where Bill had been employed as a watchmaker and jeweler since 1940.   She worked at the jewelry s

tore until 1993 when Bill took ill and died in 1994.  In her retirement she enjoyed Bingo trips with her brother Troy and other friends.  She was happy to have more time for her gardens, reading, grandkids and pets.

She is preceded in death by her parents; husband; and brother Troy Cromer.  Survivors are her children Linzy, Lonny (who was her caregiver for the last fifteen years), LaShawn and April Erb; grandchildren Brandy Manix, Carla (Elvin) Aldana, Lacey (Sam) Ervin, Caitlin (Adam) Petrik, Wyatt Erb; great-grandchildren Petra Mannix, Micha and Zooey Aldana, Autum and Raegan Ervin, Etson Petrik, Harrison and Charlotte Erb.

Graveside services will be 2:00 p.m., on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025 at the Walnut Hill Cemetery, Kingman.  The family will receive friends from 12:00 noon until 1:30 p.m. prior to services at the Livingston Funeral Home, Kingman.

Memorials may be to the Kingman Public Library, the Kingman County Humane Society or Rivercross Hospice and may be mailed to Livingston Funeral Home, 1830 N. Main, Kingman, KS 67068.

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