Cedarville
Nicholas James Bach, 70, of Cedarville died on Monday, May 28, 2012 at his home, surrounded by family. Nick was born at his family home in Freeport, on July 17, 1941, the fifth child of Joseph and Alfreda (Jackson) Bach. He was predeceased by their first child, Harry Joseph, who died at birth. His surviving siblings include Patricia (Bach) Steele(Robert), Michael(Kay Rayment)Bach, Sheila Bach Hooper, and Theodore(Ted) Bach. He is also survived by the many lucky and loving great and great-great nieces and nephews with whom he shared his love, home, time, trips to many places and himself: Fintan Steele(Scott Beard), Catherine Steele(Steve Turner), Michael (Michelle Marino)Steele, Mike's daughter, Cassandra Steele and her fiancé, Jason Tobin; great nephew Daniel Joseph Steele II, (son of Dan Steele, deceased), Mary Steele of Australia and her daughters, Noelle Steele-Alston and Maia Steele-Alston; Christina Steele-Lietz(Gary) and son Arthur Lietz; Nikki Bach Eken(Jim) and children Jack, Payton, and Tess; Joe Bach(Mary Jo Clapper) daughters Jordan Bach and Taylor Bach, great nieces Ryleigh Bach and Ashton Wool; Ted Bach(Lauren Cassidy) and son Michael ; Monte Bach (Angela Alcala), and children Noah and Micah; Mark Hooper and daughter Margaret Hooper, son Jacob Hooper and Jake's children, Alexis and Emerald Hooper; Victoria Hooper(John Webb)and daughter, Trisha Hooper and son Nicholas Webb; Katie Hooper, (daughter of Lance Hooper, deceased) Patricia Hooper(Cyril Friend III)and sons Christopher(Kip), Calvin, and Cade Friend. Special "adopted niece", Dee Ann Atkins.
He is predeceased by his parents, by grandparents, Adolph and Esther (Wagner) Bach and Harry and Phebie (Munson) Pumphrey and numerous aunts and uncles of the Bach family, as well as his nephews Lance Hooper, Daniel Steele, and a great nephew, Preston James Steele-Alston of Australia and by brother-in-law Robert Steele.
Nick was a 1959 graduate of Aquin High School in Freeport, and a 1963 graduate of Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa with a B.S. in Chemistry. He graduated from Depauw University in 1965 with an M.S. in Chemistry. He entered the PhD program at Wayne State University, serving as a teaching assistant, teaching all 1st year chemistry, student's classes, lecture/labs and quizzes. He left Wayne State and enlisted in the U.S. Army, placed in Advanced Individual Training at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, slated to a be 1st officer with commission, but felt he was "doing nothing useful" in the Chemical Corps and finished out his duty as an enlisted man doing civil service work with a Field Valuation Division in R & D. After completing his enlistment, he began the application process with several companies in the Midwest, interviewing at Upjohn in Michigan and Eli Lilly in Indianapolis, getting offers from both companies and chose Eli Lilly as a former professor at DePauw had been a former Eli Lilly man and spoke well of the company. He began at Eli Lilly in 1969 as an Associate Senior Chemist, retiring as a Senior Research Chemist in 1999 after 30 years , having been cited as being one of the most productive researchers since Eli Lilly himself. During his tenure with the company he secured over 50 patents and patents are still being developed and brought to market based on his work. Of great importance to Nick in working at Lilly was that their research and development was "ethical"..he felt that a "research organization MUST be ethical" and he would not have worked for an organization that was not ethicalwhich is a reflection of the way he lived his entire life. In 2003 he purchased a home in Cedarville(Freeport address)to "be with his family" and his home became the gathering place for all family get-togethers. He often expressed gratitude for his parents' encouraging him in pursuing his education and he extended that drive and encouragement to his nieces and nephews, and continuing that encouragement to great nieces and nephews to do work that they loved and work that made a difference to others. All of the families of his siblings were his family as well, and every family had special "Uncle Nick" vacations and memories. His special love of Australia grew out of the occasion when he and his nieces Mary and Patti traveled there when Mary's post-graduation job took her there where she met and later married an "Aussie". Many other fortunate members traveled there with Nick with on several occasions where he eventually acquired a favorite nickname of "Nick Dundee" along with an endless number of stories and memories.
Honoring Nick's wishes, cremation rites were accorded and there will be no public visitation or funeral. At a later date his family will gather at Nick's property to scatter his ashes at the place where so many family memories were made.
The Family is establishing a fund in Nick's name to remember him through causes he cared for.
Please view the Family Guest Book and sign the condolence page at www.walkermortuary.com