Name: Marianne Bayer
Where were you born and raised?
“I was born and raised in Huntsville in an Irish-Italian family.”
What is your occupation?
“From 1991 to 2013, I supported my husband’s career as an U. S. Air Force Officer and physician. Steve was gone so much that it was a necessary that I stay home to provide stability for our four sons. Being a stay at home mother and raising four happy kids is my greatest accomplishment. Now, I am the first face you see when you walk into the Bayer Gynecology Center. I’m also the person who answers your calls. I’m always smiling and eager to welcome. I love the way the community has welcomed us and supported Steve’s medical practice. His growing practice has provided an opportunity for me to begin nursing again. When the practice opened in 2016, many of my friends, tired of traveling to Birmingham for aesthetic treatments, asked us to provide Botox and facial fillers. Steve agreed to offer these treatments, and I stepped up to do the aesthetic treatments. I am using my nursing training and some additional training to provide prescription strength skin care and products to the ladies of our community.”
What made you decide to work in your field?
“I became a nurse to help others. It is my passion.”
Tell us about your family and pets.
“I married my high school sweetheart Steve Bayer in 1989. We have four happy children who love and enjoy spending time together and with Steve and me. They are my greatest accomplishment in life.”
What school or schools have you attended?
“I graduated from Huntsville High School in 1985 and completed a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing and RN in 1990 from University of Alabama-Huntsville.”
What do you like to do in your free time?
“I am an artist and enjoy painting in my spare time.”
Name the one person that has been the most influential in your life.
“My sweet father, Dr. John P. Leonard.”
What are three words that describe you?
“Loyal, generous and content.”
What is something surprising that many do not know about you?
“Most of our friends know we were in the air force, but not many know that our family moved every three years since 1990. We lived in Japan and England and enjoyed the ability to travel to many countries in Asia and Europe. I think all of the moves also added to our strong family unity. We were happy to retire from the air force and move to Gadsden. We are impressed with this community.”
What is your favorite quote?
“It is not really a quote but a prayer. I tried to live life with the Prayer of St Francis of Assisi: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”