It's the smile they'll remember most.
That good-natured, easy-going grin that made it hard not to smile back. Never forced. Never phony. Always there.
A lot like Jerry Bauserman himself.
"He was the hardest-working person I knew," said Chief Robbie Symons of the Rockingham County Department of Fire and Rescue. "For 17 years, he gave everything he had to this department.'
Bauserman, the department's deputy chief, died on Saturday at his home in Broadway. He was 42. He leaves behind his wife of five years, Julie, and two small children.
The official cause of death has not been released, but friends and colleagues say he suffered a heart attack around 6 p.m. on Saturday.
"He told his wife he didn't feel good and to go ahead and call 911," said Harrisonburg Fire Chief Larry Shifflett, who worked closely with Bauserman on joint city-county fire-rescue operations. "He lay down and apparently went into arrest at some point shortly after that."
Rescue personnel arrived at Bauserman's home within minutes of the 911 call, but could not revive him, according to Shifflett.
'Easy Going Guy'
Bauserman was born Oct. 30, 1962, in Harrisonburg. He grew up in Rockingham County and graduated from Spotswood High School in 1981. He joined the county's fire and rescue department in 1988 and was named deputy chief nine years later. Bauserman also served as a county fire marshal and investigator, and a Virginia hazardous materials response specialist.
Shifflett described Bauserman as an "easy going type of guy," who did his job "in a calm and professional manner."
"He was very easy to get along with," Shifflett said. "Him dying so suddenly and at such an early age is just a sad situation for everyone - especially his family. He certainly will be missed."
Bauserman had a way of putting people at ease, said Symons - in part by his good-natured smile.
"He had this big smile that always caught your attention," Symons said Sunday as he choked back tears. "He had such a positive outlook on life, and people saw that. He was so well-liked by everyone."
Added Brandon Peavy, chief of the Harrisonburg Rescue Squad: "I've never seen him mad - if he was mad at you, you better know it because that big smile of his was always there."
As good-natured as Bauserman was, he took his job seriously and knew the ins and outs of running a fire-rescue squad as well as anyone, Peavy said.
"As an administrator and a leader, he was a great resource to me," he said. "He was always available to answer questions about insurance or other administrative things that came up."
When Bauserman was not at work, he enjoyed fishing and spending time with his family.
Indeed, Bauserman's dedication to his job and community was matched only by his devotion to Julie and their kids, Madison, 3, and Bryce, 2, said friends.
"He loved his family so much," Symons said. "That was Jerry - he was just a great all around person."
The funeral was on Tuesday, August 23.
