Terry Sue Bauman

On October 13th, 2019, Terry Sue Heide Bauman, unconditionally loving mother and rock star Nana, passed away at home, daughters at her side, at the age of 76 after a long, hard fought battle with cancer.

Terry was the first-born child to Powell Harry and Mary Ella Heide on June 26th, 1943 in Riverdale, Maryland. Her early years were spent in Pretty Prairie, Kansas with her mother until her father returned home from the war. After his return, she was promoted to big sister of four siblings, Monte, Mariann, Craig and Cory. Her hardworking, yet free and nurturing spirit evolved through the years as she ran barefoot through the fields in the country with her siblings and cousins and helped her mother care for her siblings, spending summers on her grandparent’s dairy farm. She recounted these summers as some of her favorite childhood memories, chasing chickens, playing with the endless litters of kittens, going into town to the movie as a treat, and staying out of the house as much as possible in order to avoid having to help her Grandma with the dishes.

One little known fact about Terry is she experienced a few weeks of fame in the early 1960’s when she won a look-a-like contest for a contemporary Hollywood TV starlet, Annie Farge, who played Angel on CBS. She traveled to California from Pretty Prairie, Kansas with her mother and experienced a bit of uncomfortable attention which is evident in the photos from the time.

After high school, Terry’s free spirit, along with the influence of strong and admittedly bossy female role models, matured into a sense of adventure and independence that eventually led her away from the country and to Kansas City where she got a job and an apartment with a friend. This is where she met Jim Bauman, who she then married in 1966. Together they had two daughters, Jennifer in 1968 and Heather in 1972.

Terry always said being a mother was her favorite job until she became a grandmother. She considered this her number one calling in life. Her five grandchildren, Jackson, Grace, Ty, Nicholas, and Lucas were the lights of her life and she made sure she exceeded any definition or expectation of what a grandmother might be. She lost her filter in her later years, to the delight of her grandchildren, which made her the funniest person in the world in their eyes. Her grandchildren considered her as much a friend and confidant as a grandparent. She was their biggest fan and rarely missed any of their important events. She was especially known for her loud cheering voice on the sidelines of any sporting event, sometimes to the dismay of the opponents’ fans. She will be deeply missed and never forgotten.

One of our last, most glorious memories will be of carting Grandma Terry to the Chiefs game one week before she left us, where she cheered on a faltering Chiefs offense, much to her disgust, as she was a rabid, unfaltering Chiefs fan. It was a very good day despite the loss.

Terry was preceded in death by her mother Mary Ella Heide, Powell Harry Heide, and Cory Lee Heide.

Left to cherish her memory are Jennifer Bauman Fontaine and Eric Burger , Heather and Jeffrey Williams, 5 amazing grandchildren whom she loved more than life, Jackson Fontaine, Grace Williams, Ty Fontaine, Nicholas Fontaine and Lucas Williams; her siblings, Monte Heide, Mariann and Randy Affolter, Craig Heide and a host of cousins, nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday November 2 at the Overland Park Arboretum, 8909 W 179th St, Bucyrus, KS 66013 from 2:30pm-4:30pm. A brief tribute will take place at the pond at 3:45. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to Kansas City Hospice or The University of Kansas Cancer Institute.