Lilian (Lila) Bauer was born in Stuttgart on August 2, 1931 as the daughter of Gertrude Bauer née Horkheimer and Siegfried Bauer.
Her father worked as a salesman for the cotton waste factory “Rud. Horkheimer Söhne” in Rottenburg, which was owned by his father-in-law Albert Horkheimer and his brother Ferdinand.

He had been a partner in this company since his marriage to Lilian's mother, and it was a respected and social employer in Rottenburg.