Jerry Dwayne Bailey, 58, of Baker City, died March 23, 2005, at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Boise.
His funeral will be Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the Baker City Church of the Nazarene, 1250 Hughes Lane. There will be a reception afterward at the church’s Family Life Center.
Burial will be at Mount Hope Cemetery.
Visitations will be today from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave.
Jerry was born Oct. 5, 1946, at Enterprise to Willis and Barbara Nelson Bailey. He graduated from Enterprise High School in 1964. He was an outstanding athlete at Enterprise, playing in the East-West Shrine All-Star Football Game in 1964.
He attended Eastern Oregon College in La Grande on a football scholarship, graduating in 1968 with a degree in teaching. He received a letter of interest from the Dallas Cowboys prior to suffering an injury that ended his football career. He always enjoyed horses and for a time rode bareback horses in rodeos. Later he found a sense of freedom taking his motorcycle on road trips.
Jerry was drafted into the U.S. Army and served as a medic in Vietnam. After he was discharged from the Army he held various jobs until going to work for Qwest. At the time of his death, he had just completed 28 years with Qwest.
He enjoyed hunting, fishing, sports, and spending time with his family, especially his loving wife, Nancy. He also enjoyed woodworking and carpentry. He was a very humble person, not taking any credit for himself. His family enjoyed his quiet, gentle spirit and his unique sense of humor. Jerry was a Christian and truly loved the Lord.
Survivors include his wife, Nancy, of Baker City; son and daughter-in-law, Joe and Dina Bailey of New Jersey; daughter, Brandy Bailey of Portland; stepson, Tyler Frakes of Eugene; his parents, Willis and Barbara Bailey of Joseph; sister and brother-in-law, Bob and Judy Johnson of Eugene; brothers and sisters-in-law, John and Cindy Bailey of Joseph and Jeff and Chris Bailey of Heppner; a granddaughter, Natalie Bailey of New Jersey; and numerous nieces, nephews and other relatives.
He was preceded in death by his son, Bart Bailey.
Contributions may be made to The Hope Fund at the Baker City Church of the Nazarene, or to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation through Gray’s West & Co., P.O. Box 726, Baker City, OR 97814.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, April 1, 2005
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor