Joan C Bailey

Joan Carol (Bosca) Bailey, age 82, of Portage, Michigan, passed away on July 9, 2025, at Rose Arbor Place, after an extended illness.

Joan was born in Detroit, Michigan to the late William H. and Margaret M. Bosca on February 15, 1943, the eldest of their five children and a gifted soprano. She loved performing as a young girl at festivals, church liturgies, and family gatherings. She went on to study music education at Eastern Michigan University where she met her handsome tenor, Jack Douglas Bailey. They met while auditioning for a university production of Amahl and the Night Visitors. Joan heard a great tenor voice from inside the tryout room and was standing on her toes trying to see in a high window in the door when Jack came through. They both landed lead parts and had their first date when they went to the cast party together.

That was only the beginning of their musical collaborations. When their children were in junior high and high school, they were cast as Patruchio (Jack) and Kate (Joan) in the musical Kiss Me Kate. There was one scene where the script called for her to smack him across the face and for him to turn her over his knee and spank her. These were supposed to be stage slaps with a grand gesture that would skim each other. In one performance, she connected well with his face and in a “what comes around, goes around” moment, he actually spanked her. She yelped with an authenticity that all her children and the audience recognized as real, eliciting a roar of laughter. Their musical pairings were as perfect as their stage antics.

Joan and Jack were charter members of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Portage. Joan sang in the choir and as a cantor. They also sang in community choirs, weddings, funerals, and other theater productions; including the Kalamazoo Singers and the Bach Festival Chorus. They were longtime season ticket holders to the Grand Rapids Symphony and eagerly looked forward to the Gilmore Festival. One especially memorable performance was when they sang at Carnegie Hall with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra under Yoshi Takeda in a grand mixed chorus from the U.S. and Japan.

However, family was the true center of Joan’s life. Not only was she a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother but she was a fun-loving sister, aunt, and cousin. Joan is survived by Jack; they recently celebrated 60 years of marriage on June 19, 2025. Over that time, they welcomed three daughters; Jennifer Suzanne (Gregory), Jacqueline Michelle (Kenny), and Jessica Lauren and a son; John Matthew (Margaret). They were also blessed with 7 grandchildren; Ciara (Chad) Wellman, Michael Watts, Antonin Fusco, Dominic Fusco, Evan Watts, Francesca Fusco, and Joseph Fusco as well as 3 great grandchildren; Ariana Wellman, Roman Wellman, and Alia Wellman. She has many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Joan also loved adding to the family by hosting foreign exchange students. Bjorn (Germany), Katrin (Germany), and Anna (Spain) all came to Portage to experience the U.S. and went home with wonderful memories of family, food, song, and hours on the waters of Michigan. She shared in the celebration of Bjorn’s wedding in North Carolina years later.

Joan and Jack’s married life included many adventures with numerous trips within the U.S. and abroad. She canoed rivers throughout Michigan, ziplined in Costa Rica, rode horses at the base of a volcano, and took a helicopter to the top of the Grand Tetons for free skiing. However, her favorite memories were the ski trips to numerous spots in the Alps that she organized for many years. She was an avid downhill skier; volunteering with the ski patrol and then working in marketing and promotion at Timber Ridge Ski Area for years. She loved the snow and often said, “there is no such thing as bad weather just poor apparel choices.” She taught all four of her kids to ski and all of her grandchildren as well. In the summer, she passed the warm months with waterskiing, golf, and tennis. She followed in her parents’ footsteps as a diehard Detroit Tigers fan as well.

As only the second generation in her family born in the United States, Joan was proud of her Italian heritage and often expressed it through delicious Italian meals. Her siblings included Patricia (Bob), Marguerite (Joe), Lauren (Bob), and Bill. They often sang and cooked together, making holiday gatherings truly sweet. She also was active in the Italian Sons and Daughters of America organization in Kalamazoo for many years; holding officers’ positions, organizing community events, and riding on their float in parades.

Please join us at a Life Story Visitation on Sunday June 20th from 3-5 pm at Betzler Life Story Funeral Homes, 6080 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo (269) 375-2900. A Rosary will be held at 5 pm. Joan’s celebration of life will be at a funeral mass on July 21, 2025 at 11:00 am at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church, 1150 W Centre Avenue, Portage, MI 49024. The family will receive friends one hour prior to Mass. She will be buried at Mt. Olivet Catholic Cemetery, 2003 Mt. Olivet Road, Kalamazoo, MI 49004. Celebrate Joan’s life online by sharing your favorite stories and photos on her dedicated webpage at BetzlerLifeStory.com.