Ervin Allen Bauer....Age76

Ervin Allen Bauer age 76, of Raymore, Missouri and the Kansas City area, recently of Rantoul, Kansas died suddenly Monday, April 14, 2014 at the Ransom Memorial Hospital in Ottawa, Kansas.

Ervin was born September29, 1937 in Buffalo County, Nebraska the oldest of five children to Elmer Johan and Minnie Dorothy (Lammers) Bauer.

Ervin grew up around the Pleasanton area and attended a one (1) room school house, where he finished the eighth grade.  From the time he was very young he drove his dad’s teams and rode horses. His great love was horses and rodeos. He attended every rodeo he could get to.

Ervin was in a trail drive in Wyoming, he brought cattle out of the Tetons down over the salt flats in Utah.

On May 17, 1958 he married Ilene Renee Bridges in Hyannis, Nebraska. The couple made their home on a farm near Litchfield, Nebraska and became the parents of three girls: Peggy, Dianna and Connie.

Ervin and Ilene operated several stables in Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa and Colorado and to Missouri where they started their last stable, built a rodeo arena, restaurant and bar. Ervin was so proud when Rawhide Arena won the MRCA Rodeo of the year in 2006.

Ervin traveled all the time to horse sales to buy horses and tack. He brought longhorn steers out of Texas to use in his rodeos. He put on his last rodeo in Greeley, Kansas.

Beginning in 1975 at Old Missouri Town, Ervin opened the town for business with the ponies at the entrance. He also ran the pony ring at all the county fairs in Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas. He did over 1000 private pony birthday parties, he loved those.

Ervin liked to see what came next. In Colorado he was filmed to be the Marlboro Man which go cancelled (fast) when the pictures came back with a Winston cigarette pack in his pocket.

Ervin was preceded in death by his parents and an infant brother Burtis.

He is survived by his wife Ilene of the home, his three daughters: Dianna Marie Cracraft of Raymore, MO, Connie Jo (Bill) Tompson of Springhill, KS and Peggy JoAnn Craig of Rantoul,k KS. One brother Alfred (Freida) Bauer of Pleasanton, Neb. Two sisters: Dorothy (Kim) Phillips of Pleasanton, Neb. And Marily Cyborn of Boelus, Neb. Seven grandchildren: Brandon (Lori) Cracraft, Jeremy (Jenna) Cracraft (Tabitha (Ricky) Hayes, Ricky Craig, Alex Craig, Jesse (Amanda) Baker and Bailey Baker. Eight great- grandchildren: Gracie Lorin Ratterree, Thomas Colten Edward Ratterree, Ricky Ray Craig III, Laney Marie Cracraft, Wyatt Lane Cracraft, Henry Ervin Cracraft, Sophia Marie Hayes, Chance Baker, Dylan Guy Walker and future great grandchildren: Chet Woodrow Cracraft – May 2014, Paisley Jo Baker-July 2014 and Baby Brandon Cracraft-November 2014, along with many other family members and an arena full of friends.