Gwen was born and raised in New Orleans to the late Audrey Fiorenza Bauer and Maxwell Bauer. She attended St Rita Catholic School and St. Mary’s Dominican High School. She graduated from Louisiana State University School of Nursing with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and worked as a nurse at East Jefferson General Hospital for 44 years.
She is preceded in death by her beloved late husband, David Otto Bylsma. She is survived by her two daughters, Lauren Bylsma and Melissa Bylsma Bauer, and her son, Erik Bylsma Sr. She also leaves behind her sister, Beth Gardner, and her four grandchildren: Melanie Little, Erik Bylsma Jr., Ellis Bauer III, and David Bauer.
A funeral mass will be held on Friday, October 9, 2026, at 11:00 am at Leitz-Eagan Funeral Home, 4747 Veterans Memorial Blvd. in Metairie, LA. Visitation will begin at 9:00 am. She will be cremated and laid to rest together with her late husband in a private burial at a later date. A reception will follow the funeral mass from 12:00 pm until 2:00 pm.
In addition to flowers, please consider a donation in honor of Gwen to the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation at www.cholangiocarcinoma.org.
