Kathleen Anne Bau

Kathleen Anne (Cassidy) Bau passed away peacefully surrounded by beloved family at home in Paradise Valley, Arizona on March 6th, 2026, the day after her 86th birthday. Kathleen was born on March 5, 1940, in Rural Meade County, South Dakota to Gilbert and Theresia (Hutter) Cassidy, the first of 5 children. She was the oldest sister to 4 brothers, Pat, Larry, Philip and Leo. She attended rural grade school and graduated from Sturgis High School. She married Virgil Bau on Sept 5th, 1960, and joined him in sheep ranching in Wyoming until they moved to Spearfish, South Dakota and raised their 3 children. At 37, Kathleen gave birth to a baby girl, while the older children were already teenagers. She then decided to go back to school to fulfill her lifelong dream to be a nurse. Eventually Kathleen, Virgil and their youngest daughter moved to Arizona and started a whole new chapter of life. Kathleen continued to practice nursing as an RN and eventually became a nurse for Hospice of the Valley for the last 12 years of her career. She touched many lives during her career. She had a special gift that brought comfort and grace to everyone who was fortunate enough to be in her care. Her deep awareness of the families’ needs was unsurpassed, and people would stop her around town saying as much. She wrote and published a book titled, “Blessings and Pebbles - Touching Reflections of a Hospice Nurse.” People to this day gain comfort from the true stories she retold of her experiences.

She is survived by her children Lorena Bader (Fran), Annette Bau (Jim), Thomas Bau (Tracy) and Renee Trammell (Scott), and her grandchildren, Paige, Jordan, Mackenzie, Nicholas, Christopher, Madison, Jack, Maggie, Austin, Joseph and great-grandson James Thomas.

Her life was filled with ministry. She never stopped thinking of others, even into her passing days. She never stopped knitting, crocheting and creating beautiful blankets and hats for the marginalized, scarves for school children in need, bandanas for shelter dogs, and so much more. She would spend hours crocheting while praying for the person she was creating it for. Her prayer shawls brought comfort to so many and her most recent creations were to make little hearts that had a beautiful message attached that she would leave around town to just brighten someone’s day. Simple acts of kindness was one of her many mottos. She was an example of what true love, friendship and giving is about. She did so much for others but never boasted about it or needed credit. She would just keep working and working to make other people’s lives better. Her memory will live on in the hearts of so many that she touched. She was loved and admired and will be missed so greatly. Her gentle, beautiful spirit was so bright and happy, but if you hurt someone she loved, you would quickly learn just how fiercely loyal she could be. She had a wonderfully rich character full of life, joy and strength.

Her spirituality was one of the most prominent parts of her life. She had a deep, personal relationship with God. She was confident about her love for God and Jesus but never made others feel inadequate or less if they did not have that same relationship. She accepted everyone. She saw God’s love in everyone. She was a living example of what Jesus taught. May we all learn from her example and live in love, peace and giving.

May our beautiful Mother and Grandmother rest in the peace of the Lord. Those we hold most dear never truly leave us. They live on in the kindnesses they showed, the comfort they shared and the love they brought into our lives.

In memory of her and her lifelong ministry work, she asked for us to encourage people to help as many people and animals as possible. We ask you to donate in her name to one of her favorite charities : Four Paws & Friends or Nourish Phoenix.