Louise Robinson Bailey, age 95, died peacefully in her sleep on Wednesday, May 16, 2018, in Birmingham, Ala.
Back in February, I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Louise Bailey to interview her for Profile 2018, a community resource magazine, a companion to the newspaper the week of Feb. 28. I was totally amazed at her story. She had been born October 23, 1922, in Danville, Louisiana, to Charles and Bernice Abercrombie Robinson. After she graduated from Friendship High School, near the Danville community, she entered a business college in
Shreveport, Louisiana, about which she said, “I just wanted to be the best secretary I could be.”
From a child, she had lived a life of dedication to service and excellence. At the age of twelve, while ministering in her position as church organist, she stopped playing to go to the pastor and give her life to Christ. Her life spanned many years after those experiences, as she lived out her dedication to God, family, and community.
Mr. and Mrs. William D. “Bill” Bailey met in 1941 and were married in 1943, with Mr. Bailey in active military service during the war. In 1945, they came to Bill’s home town of Decatur and purchased the Decatur Telephone Company, which they have successfully operated ever since. Though Mr. Bailey passed away in 2015, Mrs. Bailey continued in daily assistance of the operation of the company until just recently when her health declined.
Though she herself was a brilliant, competent person in many respects, she never felt threatened by the accomplishments and capabilities of her husband William D. “Bill” Bailey. Instead, they were partners, supportive of each other in every way. Married in 1943, their marital relationship of 73 years was one to be coveted and admired. Their two children are Dr. James Mark Bailey, a neurologist in Birmingham, and Esther Bailey Smith, who is now president of the Decatur Telephone Company.
Her mind was always active and she was never one to sit idly by. She was active in the Women’s Progressive Club, the Decatur Garden Club, and for fifteen years was treasurer of the Greater Decatur Chamber of Commerce. She was one of Mississippi’s first women to receive pilot certification, having been given lessons by her husband Bill. They flew many places together, but she also flew alone at times to check on her family back in Louisiana.
Mrs. Bailey was a lover of art, a painter of lovely pictures, a gardener, and one who enjoyed flower arranging. She did not let old age stop her, as her latest ambition was to create her own cookbook! Her friend Mrs. Ann Herrington discussed this project with us back in February, but for this article, she said, “What a lovely person she was! I have nothing to say but good things about her. She was very smart and was a very strong person.”
Mr. I. D. Herrington, chief of maintenance for the Decatur Telephone Company, told me, “There just really wasn’t nobody ever left in the world as good a boss as she was. She would always take up for you and try not to criticize you. I tried to keep my nose clean and my mouth shut. She was an outstanding person, and her mind was as sharp as a tack!”
Her pastor, Rev. Susannah Carr, spoke of Mrs. Bailey’s Christian witness, saying, “She was a faithful member of Decatur United Methodist Church for many, many years, and I know from experience she was a faithful Christian. Mrs. Louise always sat in the same spot every Sunday and was very faithful in attending church.” She also spoke of the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Bailey were important and influential leaders in our community.
Family, friends, and employees of the telephone company always enjoyed the Christmas party given every year by the Baileys at their home in Decatur. It was always held the Saturday after Thanksgiving. As they say, “A good time was had by all,” as they played “Dirty Santa” every year.
One of Mrs. Bailey’s closest friends, Mrs. Janell Ozborn, told me the day of the funeral, “This is just not a good day for me.” Another friend, Mrs. Jeanette Thrash, told me, “She was such a loving and caring lady, and a dear friend. She’ll be greatly missed.”
Mrs. Louise Bailey is survived by her children, Esther Bailey Smith, Ph.D., and husband Mike of Decatur, MS; Mark Bailey, D.O.Ph.D. and wife Karan of Birmingham, AL; three granddaughters, and one great-granddaughter.
Mrs. Bailey was laid to rest Saturday, May 19, 2018, in the Newton County Memorial Gardens, after a funeral at her church, Decatur United Methodist Church.
