Thelma Marie Bambauer

Thelma Bambauer, born May 24, 1937 in Lowell, Kansas to Floyd and Mary Lyons passed away January 15, 2025. She was 87. She moved to Arizona in 1942; attended Sunnyside and Government Heights Elementary Schools, Wakefield Junior High School where she was Valedictorian of her graduating class. Attended Tucson High School and graduated in 1955 as tenth in her class of over 900 students. Went to work the day after graduation for the Clerk of the Superior Court as a Courtroom Deputy and then secretary to the Honorable Raul H. Castro until she married Bill Bambauer on March 12, 1964. Thelma and Bill were married for 52 years until he passed away in 2016. She was the first Tucsonian to be certified as a Professional Legal Secretary and passed the Certified Legal Assistant examination in 1985, She was selected as the Tucson Legal Secretary of the Year in 1980 and 1986. She worked for the law firm of Piccarreta and Davis for 21 years before retiring in 1997. Served as Editor of the Arizona Handbook for Legal Secretaries and taught a legal assistant course at Pima Community College.

Surviving family members are son Ed Bambauer (Heidi), grandchildren Madison and Ethan Bambauer, and several nephews and nieces.

She served as President of the Tucson Legal Secretaries, organizational president of the Arizona Association of Legal Secretaries and president of the National Association of Legal Secretaries at the time that there were 25,000 members nationally. Also served As President of the Tucson Association of Legal Administrators and on the Winterhaven Board of Directors as its Treasurer, the Board of Directors of Rancho Morado Homeowners Association as Secretary, Northminster Presbyterian Church as a Deacon, moderator of Ruth Circle and membership chair on the women's coordinating team.

She loved to travel and felt blessed to have visited France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, Spain, Canada and Mexico and all but seven of the United States.

We are grateful for the exceptional care and support provided by the care givers at The Gardens, the hospice nurses and Pastor Scott.