Barbara Ann Robbins Bauer “Barb”, age 80, passed away on Thur., Feb. 6, 2025. Barb was born in Mobile, Alabama on Sept. 20, 1944, and graduated from Murphy High School in 1962. With a natural talent for numbers, her first job was as a bookkeeper for a local veterinarian. Soon after graduation, she achieved a perfect score on a screening exam for Merchants National Bank, marking the beginning of her decades-long banking career. Barb worked at Merchants until 1969, when she had her first child. She returned to banking part-time when her children were in grade school, after the family moved to Marietta, Ohio, in 1977. The family relocated again to Shelton, Connecticut, in 1983, where she transitioned into Human Resources and completed her career as the Vice President of Benefits for New Alliance Bank, retiring at the age of 62 in 2006.
Family was the most important thing to Barb. No matter where the family lived, she always made it feel like home. She loved decorating for every holiday, hosting and entertaining friends and family, and holding “grandma camps” every summer. Throughout her life, she was an active member of her church. Once retired, she helped start Resale Heaven, her church’s consignment store, where she continued to volunteer her time.
In addition to being a collector of antiques and other beautiful things, Barb had many artistic talents. Over the years, she became an expert in flower arranging, painting, sewing, and many other arts and crafts. She was also an avid reader and a life master bridge player. Barb was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, bridge partner, and friend.
Barb was preceded in death by her devoted husband of 61 years, Kenneth Bauer and her parents, Travis Robbins and Annie Ruth Fleming. She is survived by her daughter Angie Snyder (and her husband Jim) and granddaughters Lindsey and Abby; son Kent (and his wife Melissa) and grandsons Dylan and Jacob, as well as her siblings: Larry (and his wife Janet), Lester “Bubba” Cook, Patricia Hanks (and her husband Bill), Brenda James (and her husband Mickey), and recently reconnected half-brothers Pete, Steve, and Tommy, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.
A celebration of life will be held at 11:00 AM on Sat., Mar. 1, 2025, at Gulf Shores Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, friends are invited to make memorial contributions to Shriners Children’s or St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.
