The passing of Lyle Bauer – my friend, boss and mentor has been tough.
He’s a legend – always will be to me, not because of what he did in the CFL … the funny thing is I rarely watch football, but because of how he lived life.
I have no idea how he did it. He’d spend 12 hours at an event and then drive 16 hours to get back home and still send texts at all hours of the day. He once asked me to visit him at his cottage, with his wonderful wife Heidi to discuss work. The conversation went late into the night. I had hoped to sleep in, but a few hours later there was a hulking figure in the doorway asking if I was up … “time to go fishing” ..WHAT ?? it’s dark out!! … Next thing I knew I was on the boat at the crack of dawn.
Not sure if I ever said no to him. If you look at the picture of him with Dave Black and Chris Walby you’ll get what I mean by never saying no – they had each other’s backs all the time. Note the other picture where he is tackling a volunteer. “No” or “I can’t” aren’t really words you use around guys like that.
So a few quick life tips you learn from working with Lyle: Don’t say no or quit. Help people – figure it out. Hug freely. Spend time in the outdoors. Make memories….just to name a few.
He’d call people “brother”…wow that was a powerful word. He’d have your back – no question.
He was humble about the effect he had on people. He’d send notes of encouragement to our clients at Never Alone and gave hugs freely. He’d play pranks and was mischievous, especially if I was too focused on a work issue at an event.
A couple years ago I stopped by his place in BC. You knew you were at the right place because of the signs. I won’t post a picture, but know that he loved to stir up controversy. He had a HUGE smile on his face as he toured me around. He was very proud of his wood pile. That pile speaks volumes, as to how he expected things to be done.
I’m fortunate to be surround by incredible co-workers, volunteers & board members and with our committed supporters we WILL make sure that we carry on the mission Lyle set out for us – improve the lives of people affected by cancer and let them know they are Never Alone.
#Forever59
You will be missed.
Michael Schiefer
Executive Director
Never Alone Cancer Foundation
