Lucille Ann Lewis Bauerly's Obituary
Beloved and highly recognized Bay Area high school teacher Lucille Ann Lewis Bauerly has died of natural causes six days short of her 98th birthday. “Lu,” as she was known, was born on November 19, 1919 in San Francisco to Martin M. Vartanian and Anna Vartanian (née Demerdjian). Her father died from a burst appendix in 1929, and her mother moved Lu and her sister Virginia to the family’s recreational ranch in the Napa Valley, where she and her sister attended local schools, where Lu was a top student and terrific athlete. Upon graduation, she attended the University of California, where she was a swimmer, diver, and winter skier. She graduated from Cal with the class of 1941 and married Patrick William Kirwan on July 16, 1941. They had two sons, R. DeWitt “Kyle” Kirwan and James Patrick Kirwan. The couple divorced in 1949. In order to support her two sons, Lu worked a day job so she could attend night classes at Cal to get her teaching credential. In 1948, Lu began teaching at Oakland High School and was quickly recognized for her high demands for excellence from her students, her classroom teaching skills, and her strict discipline. In 1960, she transferred to Skyline High School and continued her devoted service to her students and colleagues. Time and again she worked after school with at-risk students in order to groom them for admission to elite four-year universities, and then on to various professions. She became a Master Teacher and trained scores of student teachers. Her efforts were rewarded by the professional successes and love of hundreds of former students, who kept in touch with her throughout her life. In 1992 she met and married the love of her life, Michael Bauerly, a retired federal law enforcement officer. They traveled the world and enjoyed a truly close relationship up until Mike’s death.
Lu essentially raised her sons alone, but never skimped on providing them with the highest quality of life, introducing them to skiing, fly fishing, hunting, the arts, and foreign travel. She invested wisely, and was self-supporting her entire life. Both her sons attended Cal. Her son Kyle played varsity soccer at Cal, was active in school affairs, and served as an infantry officer in Vietnam. He went on to become a lawyer and law partner at Pillsbury Madison & Sutro, and then with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. Her son Jim played rugby for Cal and went on to earn a Ph.D in biophysics at Cal Berkeley. After a stint in the Army, Jim completed a National Research Council post-doctoral fellowship, but in due course entered the financial world and became a respected wealth manager for Silicon Valley businessmen and women. Lu was very proud of her sons, and equally proud of her five grandchildren and ten great grandchildren:
Nicole Kirwan Keefe and husband John of El Dorado Hills, CA, and sons Logan and Wyatt
Megan Kirwan Spaulding and husband John of Mount Shasta, CA and daughters Lilyn and Willow
Katie Kirwan Moore and husband David of Mill Valley, CA and daughters Regan and Sarah and son Gareth
Fletcher Kirwan of West Los Angeles, CA
Andy Kirwan and wife Stephanie of Scarsdale, NY and daughter Emery and sons Thomas and Ryan
Lu’s many awards and honors are too many to list in full. In 1959, she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to teach in Germany. She pulled her sons out of high school and took them to Europe with her, arranging for them to attend a German gymnasium. In 1960, she returned to teaching at Skyline High School, and taught college preparatory English while attending graduate school and achieving two master’s degrees for a Ph.D equivalent. She was president of the Mothers’Club of Krusi Park Alameda, chairwoman of the Alameda Beautification Committee of the Chamber of Commerce, Fulbright Fellowship Commission evaluator, repeatedly named Outstanding Educator in America, a member of the Academy of American Educators, a Life Member of the Cal Alumni Association, Permanent Class Secretary of the Cal Class of 1941. She was listed in WHO’S WHO IN THE WORLD. Some of her students include actor Tom Hanks and hundreds of professionals, doctors, lawyers, educators, and businessmen and women, encouraged by her enthusiasm and guidance to bring themselves up from their circumstances.
While Lu was busy with so much public service, she nevertheless found time to play golf, tennis, and bridge, where she added on Masters Points, global travel, dance and theater.
Lu’s compassion for others was a hallmark of her character. She was deeply committed to fairness for all Americans, equal opportunity in all professions, and social justice. During the Vietnam War, she learned that Oak Knoll Naval Hospital had hundreds of wounded Marines in recovery wards. She organized the girls in her high school classes to attend at the hospital to visit with the young Marines, and this became a regular event which the wounded Marines looked forward to every Tuesday and Thursday. She was active for years in the Navy League, helping our young men and women in uniform.
Lu lived a life of service to her community, devotion to her family, good humor, and just plain fun. Her bright light lives on in the hearts of her family, her many friends, and her former students. She is much missed, but she lives on in our collective memory.
What’s your fondest memory of Lucille?
What’s a lesson you learned from Lucille?
Share a story where Lucille's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Lucille you’ll never forget.
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