Ginny Bailey

Ginny Bailey was a strong, loving lady, a woman with a green thumb, an iron will, and a golden heart. She was a hardworking, independent woman, who loved the little things in life, from her collection of owl figurines, to her garden, her friends, and especially, her family. More than anything, she was a wife, mother, grandmother and friend, who loved her family most of all.

Ginny’s story began on a cold fall day in 1931, just after the Thanksgiving holiday in Cadillac, Michigan. Those were such difficult times in this country, with little to give thanks for during the thick of the Great Depression. Yet on November 27, 1931, William and Marjorie (Campbell) McGowen celebrated the birth of a beautiful baby girl, a daughter they named Virginia Ann.

Virginia, or “Ginny” as she was always called, was the third of four kids in the family’s home, a fact that caused quite a bit of consternation for her. She was joined by her older sisters Gloria and Donna in the family, the way it remained until she was nine years old, when her parents added her little brother Steve. She was so upset at not being the baby of the family anymore, she ran away from home!

Ginny’s dad was a hardworking man, who worked for the city of Cadillac his whole career. Her mother cared for the home and the kids.

Ginny had a good childhood, and enjoyed fishing for bullheads in the many lakes. She also learned to play the piano as a little girl, and became quite good at the instrument. She even began playing the piano at the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Cadillac every Sunday, for most of her young life!

Ginny attended Cadillac Schools, and graduated from Cadillac High School in 1949. Diploma in hand, she began studying to become a nurse at the Cadillac Hospital. One night she went on a blind date with a handsome young man named Jim Bailey, who was a student at Ferris State University, and just back from the Army. The sparks flew between them, and before they knew it, they were in love.

The happy young couple was married on June 16, 1950, at Jim’s grandmother’s home in nearby Manton. The newlyweds moved to Detroit, where Jim found work in the refrigeration business. It wasn’t long before the bride and groom became mother and father, too, with the birth of their first child, Bob, in 1951.

The following year, the growing family packed up and moved to Kalamazoo, where Jim became a truck driver with the Teamsters. They would remain in Kalamazoo the rest of their lives, where they formed so many fond memories, and where they raised their family.

The couple added four more kids to the mix, Sue, Greg, David and Glen, who made their parents so happy and proud. They built a big, beautiful home on Fourth Street in Oshtemo in 1961, where they formed so many great memories together. Ginny loved that home, and she turned the backyard into a Garden of Eden, full of vegetable plants and flowers! Ginny had a gloriously green thumb, and could grow just about anything.

Since Jim was on the road with his work most of the time, Ginny ran the household, and ran a tight ship, too. She was a strong, independent woman, who instilled the same traits in her children. The family always had plenty of pets in the home, too, from their beloved dog, Rufus, to other pets and birds over the years.

When her kids were old enough, Ginny went back to work to help make ends meet, and worked a variety of different jobs over the years. She worked in the switch room at Bell Telephone, she worked at Zayer’s Department Store, she worked at the Post Office, and finally at Buskirk’s, too.

Ginny wasn’t all work and no play, though. She had many interests and hobbies, from visiting with her friends at the Moose Lodge over the years, to reading her many different books (she read anything and everything), to watching the NASCAR races on Sundays. She also loved adding to her huge collection of owl figurines, which adorned every corner of her home.

That was Ginny, though; she loved the little things in life, and never needed the big gestures to be happy. After Jim retired from the Teamsters, they bought a fifth-wheeler RV, and traveled all over the country together, which Ginny loved so much. She loved being on the go, and seeing new places. Since Jim was gone so much when he was working, his retirement was a bigger adjustment for Ginny than it was for him!

Ginny enjoyed spending time around the house with her whole family over the years, especially when her beloved grandkids began arriving. She adored each and every one of them, and they could do no wrong in her eyes! She loved having them all over for a big holiday feast (she didn’t mind cooking the big dinners, just not the daily routine).

Ginny suffered her share of heartache later in life. She lost her beloved husband Jim in 1998, as well as two of her sons, Greg and Glen in 2007. She persevered, ever the strong, independent woman she was. Eventually, though, she began to develop health problems of her own. Despite bravely battling her illness, she sadly died on Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008 in Kalamazoo, at the age of 76.

Ginny was a wonderful, loving woman, a woman with a green thumb, an iron will, and a golden heart. She was a hardworking, independent woman, who loved the little things in life. More than anything, Ginny was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother and friend, and a great gift to all who knew her. She will be greatly missed.

Learn more about Ginny, view her Life Story film, and visit with her family and friends on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 from 4:00 – 8:00 PM at the Life Story Funeral Home, Betzler-Kalamazoo; 6080 Stadium Drive, 375-2900 where a service will be held Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 11:00 AM. Burial at Hope Cemetery followed by food and fellowship at the Portage Moose Lodge. She was preceded in death by her husband Jim Bailey in 1998 and by two sons: Greg and Glen Bailey. Surviving are three children: Robert Bailey of Allegan; Sue (John) Weir of Kalamazoo and David (Carol) Bailey of Kalamazoo; 13 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; three siblings: Gloria Nelund of Tower; Donna (Eldon) Simmons of Jackson and Stephen (Sharon) McGowan of Grand Rapids; two daughters-in-law: Sharon Bailey of Martinsburg, WV and Barbara Bailey of Marcellus; and many nieces and nephews. Please visit Ginny’s personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you can share a memory or photo, sign her memory book, or make a memorial contribution to Kairos Dwelling.