Al Bailey

December 16, 1932 - June 15, 2014

Our beloved husband, father, grandpa, and great-grandpa, Alfred William Bailey, age 81, passed away peacefully at his home in Orem, UT on Father's Day, June 15, 2014. Al was born on Dec. 16, 1932 in Orwell, Ohio. He was an early Christmas present for Alfred Lindley Bailey and Anna Mary Bundy Bailey, and two doting older sisters Dorothy Louise Bailey Torry and Mary Agnus Bailey Badley (all deceased). He loved growing up and living in Ohio, especially working on his neighbor’s farm as a boy. He would often reminisce about his childhood telling lots of different stories. One of these was about milking the cows, the number of cows varied from 50 to 300 depending on his version of the story that day. Al loved learning, and he was an avid reader. He earned degrees in Accounting, Social Studies with a minor in English, and in Library Science. He graduated from BYU in 1968. If it were possible, his career path would have been as a professional student. Al joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on August 3, 1963 and married the love of his life Jeanette Maag Bailey six months later on February 8, 1964. They were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple one year later. They were blessed with 5 beautiful children Denise (Eric) Bennett of Daniel, UT, Lin Bailey (Pian Pian Cao) of Orem, UT, Karla Miller Trujillo of St. George, UT, Ted Maag Bailey (deceased), and Heather (Don) Hooley of Pleasant Grove, UT. They currently have 23 grandchildren, one deceased granddaughter, and 13 great-grandchildren with more to come. Al enjoyed photography and was an admirer of Ansel Adams. He also enjoyed long car rides, and would often say, "Where do you think that road goes?" and off he'd go to find out. He would also stop at all the historical markers on his rides to read each one. He loved history and could be found quite often watching a documentary or war movie. His hobbies included stamp collecting, he had a love of music, and he enjoyed movies of all kinds. He loved his country and felt privileged to serve in the Army during the German occupation when he was stationed in France and Germany. He then served in the Army reserves and was honorably discharged in 1961. He will be buried with military honors. Al was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and held various callings including ward clerk and financial clerk. He worked for Jordan School District for 37 years as a teacher, and later a media coordinator. He loved setting up new libraries and re-vamping old ones. He loved helping the students find joy in learning from the books in the library. After retiring from Jordan he couldn't stay away from library work and was re-energized as he took a position with Timpanogos Academy as the librarian. He loved the people he worked with there and the kids loved him, most of all his two grandchildren who attended there. After leaving Timp Academy he still found joy around books while volunteering at Orem Public Library. Al lived a long full life filled with many health challenges. He was a diabetic, which was difficult for him because he had the biggest sweet tooth. He had coronary artery disease, was a pancreatic cancer survivor, and in later years dealt with his most difficult challenge, dementia. We would like to thank Utah Home Health & Hospice for sending an angel, Brigitte Hansen, R.N., to help him and us through his final days. We would also like to thank Dr. Scott Smith for all the loving care he gave him through the years. Al was loved by his children and grandchildren for his playful demeanor, his sense of humor, and joyful teasing. The grandkids never left his house without an extra helping of cookies and candies, much to their parents’ chagrin. His greatest times were spent with his kids and grandkids, and they always left with hugs and kisses from grandpa. He will be loved, missed and remembered fondly. Funeral Services will be held Friday, June 20th, at 11:00 am, at the Suncrest 9th Ward, 130 North 400 West, Orem, Utah, where a Viewing will be held prior from 9:30 am to 10:45 am. Interment in Orem City Cemetery with Military Honors. Funeral Directors: Utah Valley Mortuary.