William “Bill” Allen Bauscher passed away peacefully on February 6, 2026, with his son and daughter-in-law by his side. Bill was born in Wendell, Idaho, on June 7, 1934, the only child to Fred and Helen Bauscher. He grew up in and attended school in Fairfield, Idaho, up through his junior year in high school. As an aspiring athlete, Bill attended Jerome High School for his senior year in hopes of being noticed by college scouts. During his senior year at Jerome, he participated in Idaho All-Star Shrine Games in football and basketball, graduating in 1952.

He continued his athletic career and enlisted in ROTC at the University of Idaho, competing in basketball and track. In 1956, he was the captain of the basketball team, placed 5th in the Pacific Coast Conference in the long jump, and received the Outstanding Senior Athletic Award. While at Idaho, he also received a Top Ten Senior Award, National Premedical Honor Society Award, and Blue Key Award. In 2001, he would be inducted into the Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame. Also, while at the U of I, he met and courted the beautiful homecoming queen, LouAnn Olson. They married following graduation, and moved to Houston, Texas, where Bill attended graduate school and served active duty in the Army Reserve at Fort Sam Houston.

After completing his Doctor of Optometry degree at the University of Houston in 1963, Bill and LouAnn moved back to Idaho where they welcomed a son, Brett, to the family. Bill practiced optometry in Caldwell, Idaho, from 1963 to 1987 and served on many boards, receiving professional and community awards including Beta Sigma Kappa International Optometric Honor Society, College of Idaho Booster of the Year, Caldwell Rotary Program of the Year, Caldwell Lion’s Distinguished Service Sight Conservation Award in 1982, and Idaho Optometrist of the Year. He was raised as a Master Mason in 1968.

Following his divorce from LouAnn, he married Judy Ostler, and to this marriage, two additional sons were born, Lance and Joe. Though this marriage also ended in divorce, his three sons, and later his three grandchildren, would be a great source of pride and joy throughout the remainder of his life.

For several years, Bill practiced optometry at the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital in Saudi Arabia, where he was also reactivated by the Army and served in intelligence during the first Gulf War. He retired in 1994 as a Colonel in the Reserves with many commendation medals. He then continued his active clinical career in Burke, Virginia, where he practiced until his retirement in 2001.

Bill then moved back to Idaho where he spent summers in McCall and winters in Meridian in order to enjoy better golfing weather and to be closer to Brett and his family. His grandson, Ryan, was a special bright spot in his life, and he enjoyed attending his theater and music performances, spending holidays together, and making memories in McCall. He was an avid and accomplished golfer, playing several days a week and winning numerous amateur tournaments throughout the state and beyond. His group of golfing friends was truly a second family to him.

Bill was preceded in death by his father, Fred Leroy Bauscher (1908-1975), and his mother, Helen Frances Bauscher (1909-2004). He is survived by his sons: Brett (Suzanne) of Caldwell, and Lance Bauscher and Joe Bauscher of Santa Cruz, California. He is also survived by his three grandchildren: Ryan, Cutler, and Elsie.

The family would like to thank the staff at Autumn Wind Assisted Living, as well as the caregivers from Doctor’s Hospice for their compassionate care.

There will be a private family graveside service in April at the Bauscher family plot in Elmwood Cemetery in Gooding, Idaho. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the Idaho Vandal Boosters Scholarship Fund, or to Shriners Children’s. Arrangements are under the care of Flahiff Funeral Chapel, Caldwell. (208) 459-0833