Robert William "Bill" Bausch was born on February 22, 1957, in Rapid City, SD, to William and Roberta (Freeman) Bausch. He died on March 27, 2018, in Sturgis, SD.

Bill grew up in Sturgis where he spent his school years. He later moved to Hill City where he married Hill Smith and had a son, Joshua. They divorced and he moved to Rapid City. He met Cathy Coates and they had a daughter, Amanda.

He worked in a mica mine in Keystone for a few years and then worked at Ellsworth Air Force Base as a telephone operator. When he became disabled he moved back to Sturgis.

He loved driving his motorcycle or riding in a 4-wheel drive with friends and family through the Black Hills where he would search for signs of old railroads. He was interested in the railroad history and did a lot of research on them.

Bill was a member of Alcoholics Anonymous and the Association of Recovering Motorcyclists where his nickname was "Smutley" and was proud of being clean and sober for 16 years. He found Jesus at that time and was at peace with God when he passed.

Bill's last wish was for all of us to get along together and love one another. His last night on earth, he dreamed he was playing a game of Asteroids with Jesus and Jesus won. He said he was going to ride a trike to heaven where he was going to meet Jaden and Jesus.

He is survived by his children, Amanda Cates of St. Louis, MO, Joshua Bausch of Sioux Falls, SD, and grandchildren; mother, Roberta Freeman, Sturgis; sisters, Linda Newland of Sturgis and Kay (Dale) Grant of Vale; brother, Larry (Roxanna) Bausch recently of Rapid City formerly of Lead; many nieces and nephews; and best friends, Angela and Steve McDonnell, Steve and Brian.

He was preceded in death by his father, William Bausch; his step-father, Clifford Freeman; his grandparents, Ben (Florence) Bauer and Herman (Irene) Bausch; and nephews, Jaden Paklin and Deven Meyers.

Memorial services will be Wednesday, April 4, 2018, at 10:00 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Sturgis with Rev. Denzel Nonhof officiating. A private family inurnment will be at Bear Butte Cemetery.

A special thank you goes to Bruce Berger, a cousin, and Angel McDonnell, for sharing with us their love and memories of Bill during the service.