Flood Victim Honored In Bucks Co.: Service Details, Fundraiser

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — The family of a man who died in Bucks County while saving his wife from drowning in Ida floodwaters is set to host a volleyball tournament next spring in his memory.

Sixty-five-year-old Don Bauer, of Perkiomenville, died Sept. 1 after his SUV stalled on a flooded road near Unami Creek in Milford Township. Bauer helped his wife escape the flooding SUV with his “last act,” their son, Darby Bauer, told the Associated Press.

Don and Kate Bauer were on their way home that night after watching their daughter, Sophie, play for the Moravian University women’s volleyball team at DeSales University.

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Kate, Darby and Sophie Bauer recently launched a GoFundMe page to raise money for a volleyball tournament next spring in his honor. Donald Bauer was a “strong supporter of youth sports” and coached volleyball and soccer while raising his kids, his family wrote on the campaign page.

“Don loved volleyball and the friendships he formed there. He played it for many years, and it was his favorite sport,” the Bauers wrote.

“He was especially proud to be a volleyball dad,” they wrote.

During his playing days, he earned the nickname “Mortuary Don” because of his ability to “kill” the ball, his obituary says.

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The Bauer family set an initial goal of raising $500 for the tournament, but the campaign had raised more than $7,200 from almost 100 donors by Monday morning. All proceeds that are not used for the volleyball tournament will be donated to the Moravian University women’s volleyball team.

“We are so appreciative of everyone’s generosity to celebrate Don and pay it forward with this volleyball tournament,” the family wrote.

Don Bauer drove school buses in the Boyertown School District for the past 15 years, after previous careers as a factory worker, landscaper and woodworker. He was an alumnus of Pottstown High School and “an ongoing student in the school of life,” his obituary says.

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A ceremony to celebrate Don Bauer’s life is scheduled for Oct. 17 at the family’s farm.

Kate Bauer was rescued Sept. 1 after escaping the flooded SUV and spent several days in the hospital. She is “doing well and strengthened by the outpouring of love and support,” the family wrote Sept. 9 in an update on the GoFundMe page.