William Barry Hauser (Bill)

William Barry Hauser, 85, of St. Louis Park, MN passed away peacefully with two of his sons by his side - on March 7, 2025 at JA Wedum Hospice Care Center in Minneapolis, MN.

A celebration of life is scheduled for Saturday, April 19th from 11am - 3pm, CDT at the Party Room at 4730 Park Commons Dr., St. Louis Park, MN 55416.

Born May 2, 1939, in Washington, D.C., Bill spent much of his childhood in the D.C. suburbs while his father worked for the federal government. He later moved with his family to Chicago, and as a 7th grader joined his parents for a year of travel around the world and twelve months living in Burma.

Bill graduated high school early to embark on an academic career, earning a degree in mathematics at the University of Chicago and later a PhD in Japanese history from Yale University. His thesis on Japanese Medieval Economic History, "Economic Institutional Change in Tokugawa Japan-Osaka and the Kinai Cotton Trade," was published by Cambridge University Press in 1974. He had several other publishings.

That year, Bill left his teaching position at the University of Michigan and joined the faculty at the University of Rochester in New York, where he taught for more than four decades and served as chairman of the History Department. In addition to Japanese history, Bill taught popular classes in modern east Asian culture and was known as a beloved and well-respected teacher.

Rochester, NY was where Bill and Susan Lester Hauser adopted and raised their three boys from S. Korea. He spent several years as a little league baseball coach for his sons, encouraging all who played. He also taught his sons the joy of cooking, eating, traveling, listening to music, reading, and education.

Bill spent the last eight years in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, near his eldest son Ben and his wife Brianna and his two grandchildren Jaymes and Ryan. He also lived close to his sister, Martha.

Bill loved travel and food. "It's a feast!" On his numerous trips to Europe, East and Southeast Asia, he would often separate from the groups and follow his own nose and intuition to find great restaurants. By the end of his trips, many from the groups would join him on his dining suggestions and thank him for leading them to much more interesting and delicious food. "Most people eat to live," he said frequently, "I live to eat!"

He was an enthusiast of life, a wide-ranging reader and a collector of art, pottery and Oriental rugs. Bill loved small chamber orchestra concerts, plays, sailing, cars, and spending time with his family. At home, Bill could often be found listening to classical music or jazz on his high-end stereo system and reading a book.

Above all, Bill valued being a father. He said raising his sons was more important and meaningful than anything he could publish.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents Phillip M. Hauser and Zelda B. Hauser. He is survived by his sister Martha Hauser Baxter of St. Louis Park, MN; children Benjamin (Brianna Bengtson) Hauser of Northfield, MN; Aaron Hauser and Zachary B. Hauser of Honolulu, HI; and grandchildren Jaymes, Ryan and Vanessa Hauser.