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Otero County officials were shaken Tuesday morning (last year) by news that longtime County Commissioner Robert "Bob" Bauserman of Manzanola had died following a prolonged illness. He was 79.
News of funeral arrangements have not been released by the Bauserman family.
Mr. Bauserman, who is survived by his wife, Beverly, and children, served 33 years as county commissioner, the majority of those years as chairman of the board. He was respected statewide for his knowledge of both budget matters involving county governments and the operations of departments of human services.
"I am going to miss his friendship. He was a great mentor," said Harold "Jake" Klein, who served with Mr. Bauserman 20 years. "Bob was dedicated to Otero County. That's what he thought about. We would be in a meeting in Denver or somewhere else and when we came back and crossed the county line, we would be home to him. It wasn't just Manzanola, where he lived. It was Otero County."
Kevin Karney, who currently chairs the Board of County Commissioners, served with Mr. Bauserman for 11 years.
"It has been a pleasure to work with him for those 11 years. The loss we face in the institutional knowledge he possessed is so great. His memory; the many things he remembered happening years ago, was amazing."
Both Klein and Karney lauded Mr. Bauserman for his work on the State Board of Human Services, which was known as "Social Services" until recent years. Mr. Bauserman served eight years on the state board, including four years as its chairman.
"Bob was really looked up to by people who worked with human services. He got a lot of legislations passed in the state that helped a lot of people," Klein said.
Klein also said Mr. Bauserman was an expert in matters dealing with water and irrigation. Bauserman operated both a vegetable farm and a market on the east edge of Manzanola.
"He was really an expert with water issues. He knew it and studied water issues a lot and he served on a lot of important panels," Klein said.
But both Klein and Karney said they will remember Bauserman for the mentorship he provided, especially when it came to budgetary matters and how these impacted operations of the county government.
"Bob knew the budget inside and out. That was his background in college," Klein said, to which Karney added, "Bob was an expert in budgeting. He taught me a lot, and everyone else around him."
Bauserman had in recent years battled with illness. He had lost both of his legs to amputation from the knees down. Yet he kept fighting and showed great resilience, Karney said.
"Bob was never one to give up. He was tenacious," Klein said. "It's going to be very hard to fill those shoes."
Otero County officials were shaken Tuesday morning (last year) by news that longtime County Commissioner Robert "Bob" Bauserman of Manzanola had died following a prolonged illness. He was 79.
News of funeral arrangements have not been released by the Bauserman family.
Mr. Bauserman, who is survived by his wife, Beverly, and children, served 33 years as county commissioner, the majority of those years as chairman of the board. He was respected statewide for his knowledge of both budget matters involving county governments and the operations of departments of human services.
"I am going to miss his friendship. He was a great mentor," said Harold "Jake" Klein, who served with Mr. Bauserman 20 years. "Bob was dedicated to Otero County. That's what he thought about. We would be in a meeting in Denver or somewhere else and when we came back and crossed the county line, we would be home to him. It wasn't just Manzanola, where he lived. It was Otero County."
Kevin Karney, who currently chairs the Board of County Commissioners, served with Mr. Bauserman for 11 years.
"It has been a pleasure to work with him for those 11 years. The loss we face in the institutional knowledge he possessed is so great. His memory; the many things he remembered happening years ago, was amazing."
Both Klein and Karney lauded Mr. Bauserman for his work on the State Board of Human Services, which was known as "Social Services" until recent years. Mr. Bauserman served eight years on the state board, including four years as its chairman.
"Bob was really looked up to by people who worked with human services. He got a lot of legislations passed in the state that helped a lot of people," Klein said.
Klein also said Mr. Bauserman was an expert in matters dealing with water and irrigation. Bauserman operated both a vegetable farm and a market on the east edge of Manzanola.
"He was really an expert with water issues. He knew it and studied water issues a lot and he served on a lot of important panels," Klein said.
But both Klein and Karney said they will remember Bauserman for the mentorship he provided, especially when it came to budgetary matters and how these impacted operations of the county government.
"Bob knew the budget inside and out. That was his background in college," Klein said, to which Karney added, "Bob was an expert in budgeting. He taught me a lot, and everyone else around him."
Bauserman had in recent years battled with illness. He had lost both of his legs to amputation from the knees down. Yet he kept fighting and showed great resilience, Karney said.
"Bob was never one to give up. He was tenacious," Klein said. "It's going to be very hard to fill those shoes."
