Mary Lou Bailey, 86, of Urbana, passed away peacefully Thursday, March 14, 2019, at Hearth and Home of Urbana.
She was born Nov. 23, 1932, in North Lewisburg, to the late William Arthur and Emma Amelia Durnell Williams. She married Carrol Eugene Bailey on March 9, 1951, in Harpster, and he preceded her in death May 21, 2017.
Survivors include a brother, James (Carolyn) Williams of Flora, Ind.; a sister, Jeannie (Arthur) Travis of Hilliard; two children, Mark (Susan Oelker) of Urbana and Diana Carol (Neil) Naiman of Kewadin, Mich.; seven grandchildren, Shawn (Meredith) Bailey of Columbus, Renae (Brian) Wainwright of Atlanta, Ga., Amy (Christopher) Louthan of Dublin, Chad (Nichole) Naiman of Corydon, Ind., Kyle (April) Naiman of Oxford, Lisa (James) Tuttle of Cadillac, Mich., and Lindsay (Andrew) Raymond of Elk Rapids, Mich.; and 10 great-grandchildren, Eva and Gwendolyn Bailey, Dane and Grady Naiman, Olivia, Lyla and Theodore Naiman, Reese and Ryan Raymond and Owen Louthan.
Mary graduated from North Lewisburg High School in 1950, where she was class valedictorian and secretary, basketball cheerleader and played the accordion in the school orchestra. She worked as secretary to the principal and superintendent in the West Liberty-Salem School District for a number of years.
She and Carrol moved in 1980 to Florida where she continued to work as an administrative assistant in the Pinellas County School System Athletic Department until her retirement. Mary was also a member of Eastern Star most of her adult life.
Mary and Carrol both enjoyed their time in Florida where they lived in a number of different communities. including St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Bradenton until relocating to Urbana to be near family and friends following their retirement.
Mary will be remembered as an extremely hard worker, for her warm heart and devout love and loyalty to her family who will greatly miss her positive and significant influence. Her beautiful smile touched all with whom she came in contact. She loved playing cards, fishing and most any kind of competitive activity.
The family thanks the staff of Hearth and Home of Urbana and Kindred Hospice of Dayton for the compassionate and quality care they provided Mary prior to her passing.
A celebration of Mary’s life is at 2 p.m. today, Saturday, March 16, in Vernon Funeral Home, Urbana, following calling that begins at 1 p.m. Pastor David Brown of the Kingscreek United Methodist Church officiates. Burial is at 3 p.m. Monday, March 18, in Maple Grove Cemetery, North Lewisburg.
Memorial contributions may be made to Alzheimer’s Association, 31 W. Whipp Rd., Dayton, OH 45459; and Kindred Hospice of Dayton, 787 Washington Village Dr. No. 350, Dayton, OH 45459.
Express condolences at www.vernonfh.com.