Reuben Julius August Bareis M.D.

February 29, 1928 - April 30, 2025

Reuben Julius August Bareis was born on February 29th (Leap Year’s Day), 1928 to Reverend Reuben G. A. Bareis and Lydia (Wildi) Bareis in Great Bend, Kansas. Fourteen months later, Reuben was joined by his brother, Robert. Lydia died suddenly in December 1931, leaving the two boys with their father. In July 1932, Rev. Bareis married Caroline Backsen, and 4 years later the boys’ half-sister Janet was born. The family lived in the Midwest for a time, but Reuben’s hay fever and asthma caused them to move to Windsor, CO in 1942.

Upon graduation from Windsor High in 1945, Dad was awarded an unexpected college scholarship, a serendipitous event as college had been only an option until then. Reuben completed premedical training at the University of Colorado at Boulder before earning an MD degree from UC–Denver in 1952. Upon graduation, Reuben became a 1st Lieutenant in the Army Medical Corps, finished a year’s internship at Madigan Army Hospital and spent the next year in a bunker Aid Station near the DMZ in Korea.

Letters to Korea from a pretty nursing student in Colorado kept Dad from getting homesick. When he returned, Mom was waiting. On Sept. 12, 1954, Reuben and Marloe Joyce Polson were married in Princeton, Illinois. They moved to Michigan where they started their family and Reuben completed a 3-year residency in Internal Medicine.

Noting an ad in a medical journal, Reuben moved his family, with newly-arrived Anne, to Rapid City, SD where he joined the Dawley-Kegaries Medical Clinic in 1957. He was on the staff of two hospitals, made house calls, and became acquainted with Marie Sheldon who managed the only nursing home in town. Through Marie’s inspiration, Reuben would later become Medical Director of three nursing homes and be part of a team of members from First Presbyterian Church to build Westhills Village. In 1968, Dad joined two other internists – Drs. Bob Johnson and Streeter Shining – to form the Internal Medicine Clinic on Jackson Blvd. and to be the catalyst to attract several sub-specialists to Rapid City.

Meanwhile, Marloe’s nursing career was put on hold while raising their four children: Anne, Paul, Steve, and Jean. The family lived in a nice neighborhood on the west side of Rapid City where it was said that “There are 47 children living on 48th Street.” The children did not lack playmates! And Mom enjoyed the friendship and support of the other mothers. In 1968, the family moved up the road to a lovely log cabin situated among pine trees on Berry Pine Road where they made their home for almost forty years.

Dad was a dedicated physician, building a practice that included hospital rounds and house calls, a daily routine back in the day. Although busy, he always found time for his family, attending his children’s band and orchestra concerts and sports events over the years. Yearly family adventures to National Parks and seacoasts were epic! His favorite pastimes were golfing, fishing, and attending theater, musical, and cultural performances. He and Marloe had many common interests. Reuben loved music and loved to hear himself sing! He sang in two church choirs for several years and loved the fellowship of the Shrine of Democracy Chorus (the Barbershopper’s). We had great fun celebrating his not-so-often Leap Year Birthdays.

Reuben was raised with a deep faith in God, which he practiced with humility and compassion. Reuben and Marloe joined First Presbyterian Church in the 1950’s and were ‘regulars’ until health limited their attendance. Reuben’s spirituality informed his daily life. Matthew 25:40 guided his treatment of everyone, regardless of status. His ethic derived partly from farm life; as a young boy, he and his brother were partly raised by their grandparents. Reuben said many times that what partly led him into medicine, and with a focus on internal medicine and care of the aging, was his time spent living and learning from older relatives. Dad was a Compassionate Caregiver.

It was in meetings with like-minded friends from First Pres and recognizing the needs of an aging population with limited options, that the genesis of Westhills Village began. Developing plans, locating property, marketing a relatively new concept, and finding funding for WHV was difficult in the 1980’s but the team persevered. Westhills Village was one of the first and has become one of the premier retirement complexes in the region.

Dad retired in 1999, after practicing medicine for over forty years in Rapid City. In retirement, Reuben and Marloe gave their time to many community organizations, enjoyed traveling to all parts of the globe, and kept the flora and fauna at bay on Berry Pine. Reuben loved the local sport scene: from SDSM&T basketball to Post 22 baseball. He didn’t miss many games. Dad became an avid reader, writer, and puzzler. He authored several books, including family histories, an autobiography, and a history of nursing homes and eldercare in Rapid City. He welcomed the opportunity to share his opinions with others through numerous letters to the editor of the local paper. Dad made friends. He was a great conversationalist and listener. He was moderate in his outlook, both politically and practically. Equanimity is a word that sums up Reuben’s ability to handle challenges.

Mom and Dad moved to Westhills Village in 2006. Marloe passed away in 2016 and this grieved Dad greatly. In 2022 Reuben moved into the Courtyard at Westhills, where he was loved and cared for throughout his remaining days.

Reuben received many awards and accolades over the years for both his medical career and for his leadership in community service. He served on numerous medical boards, was an active congregant and teacher at First Presbyterian Church, and was deeply involved in eldercare education and end-of-life ethics. He was inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 2019. Dad was a stalwart member of the Rapid City Rotary Club for over 60 years. He was a ‘rainmaker’ for the club, spreading the principle of ‘Service Above Self’ and recruiting new members. It was through Rotary that Mom and Dad hosted foreign students, attended nine International Conventions, and developed global friendships.

Left to mourn Reuben are his children and grandchildren, Anne Baker with sons Patrick and Evan (Allison); Paul Bareis-Golumb (Mary) with children Lucas and Anica (Steve); Stephen Bareis with children Pooja, Dan, and Laura (Jennifer); Jean Bareis (Carrie Martin); and daughter-in-law Eva Hanrahan.

Reuben was preceded in death by his beloved wife Marloe in 2016, his brother Robert, and his half-sister Janet.