July 18, 1923 - May 20, 2010SOUTH BEND - Mary Madeline "Tootie" Bauer, 86, of South Bend, passed away on Thursday, May 20, 2010, in the Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center, Mishawaka, IN. She was born on July 18, 1923, in Monterey, IN, to the late William and Ernestine (Rock) Decker. On December 29, 1945, as Mary M. Decker, she married Bernard F. Bauer, who survives. Along with her loving husband of 64 years, she is survived by her daughters, Pam (Walt) Rearick of Chesterton, IN, and Rita (Dennis) Large of Plymouth, IN; her son, Jeff (Lois) Bauer of South Bend; 10 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren; and by two sisters, Judi (Dick) Minniear of Muncie, IN, and Carol (Dick) Stoneburner of Plymouth, IN. She was preceded in death by two sisters, Rita Gottlick and Joanne Wagner, and two brothers, Robert and Jim Decker. Mary loved spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She loved gardening and had a special touch with roses. Many of her most cherished times involved being with her daughters, her son, her loving sister, Judi, and her best friend, Bonnie (Bill) Bauer. She also enjoyed spending her weekends with Bernie at Gravel Lake in Michigan with many good friends. Mrs. Bauer was a Registered Nurse at Memorial Hospital in South Bend for 30 years. She was a parishioner of Holy Cross Catholic. Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, May 24, 2010, in the Kaniewski Funeral Home, 3545 N. Bendix Drive, South Bend, where a parish Rosary will be prayed at 6:30 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Tuesday in Holy Cross Church, with burial to follow at St. Anne's Cemetery, Monterey, IN. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Liver Foundation at www.liverfoundation.org. To send online condolences, please visit www.kaniewski.com.