Leonard Bauer was 82 years old and passed away on the morning of December 8th as the result of issues brought on by COVID-19. Len was born in Yonkers, NY to Leonard and Rose Bauer. He was the middle of three children, older sister Rosemarie, and younger sister, Kathleen, known as "Bonnie". Len graduated from Archbishop Stepinac High School of White Plains. He married Alice in 1958 at St. Anthony's Church in Nepera Park, Yonkers, NY. They would have celebrated their 62nd Anniversary in just a few days. Len worked with his parents at Otis Elevator in Yonkers until he went into the New York State Police Academy in June of 1962. Graduation was three months later and he began his tour of NY with his first posting at the barracks in Leeds NY. After Leeds, he was stationed at Southhampton, Middletown, Newburgh, Stony Point, and Bethpage. Often more than once. He moonlighted by hanging sheetrock and spackling in new home construction.
His first role with the Troopers was with the motorcycle division, thus beginning a lifelong love of his many Harley-Davidsons. In May of 1969 he was sponsored by Harley and made a cross country run from New York to Los Angeles to break the then speed record. He left the Western Union office in Midtown Manhattan and some 46 hours later arrived in LA, missing the record by a mere 30 minutes. In August of '69 his Sergeant told him to go up to Sullivan County as he was needed to help on a small detail for crowd control. He left on Friday morning, and returned late on Monday, having been part of the Woodstock Music Festival by keeping the peace in his woolen, long sleeved, uniform. Len retired from the Troopers as a Sergeant in October of 1988. He then went to work as the Security and Safety Director for the NY Region with Arkansas Best Freight. He retired from ABF in 2010. At the same time, he was hired to be the Chief of Police for the Town of Montgomery, growing the force from a few full-time officers into a more substantial fulltime Police Department.
Besides his Harleys, he was an avid runner who ran the Boston Marathon once and the New York Marathon nine times. He led the creation of the Police Chase, which was a 10k run through the grounds of Stewart Airport, where the Newburgh barracks was then stationed. The race was for any police officer and was well attended from jurisdictions near and far. He was an accomplished carpenter and wood worker and made many fine pieces for his family.
Len and Alice's family consist of his son Leonard (Andrea), daughter Allison Acquavella (Robert), and son Alex (Sarah). Grandchildren Caroline, Laura, Trevor, Katherine, Sierra, and Megan.
Len's was a life well lived and we're disappointed we cannot have a wake and large gathering with friends under the current circumstances, but we will look to have a remembrance of his life in the Spring. We'll hoist a beer, tell stories, and laugh till we cry. We won't be serving any IPAs or fancy home-brews, because, as we all know, Len was a man who just wanted a Regular Beer.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley, 195 Hudson Street, Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY 12520.