Eustis, FL. - Richard “Dick” F. Bailey was born on December 11, 1914 and died on April 10, 2018.
In high school Dick was on the football and basketball teams and participated in theater productions. He spent time on the minor league baseball team for the New York Yankees as a pitcher, but an elbow injury ended his baseball career.
On June 24 1939 he married Mildred Collins and they were married for sixty-three years until she died in 2002. During WWII he helped build submarines.
He had two children, Richard Jr. (Rick) and Linda Bailey Williams. Rick died in 2015.
Most of Dick’s career was spent in the building and loan business. When he was 70 years old he retired from the Grossman’s lumber yard chain where he had been a zone manager. For the next fifteen years he built houses, doing most of the work himself; such as trim work, installing kitchen cabinets, laying floors, etc. He was always busy and always generous with people.
In 2003, one year after his wife died, he moved to Florida and has been there ever since living with his daughter and son-in-law. He has four grandchildren; Erik Williams of Eustis, FL., Chaplain Mark Williams of Biloxi, MS., Cynthia Keeler of Silver Springs, FL, and Eric Bailey of Rochester, MA. He also had six great grandchildren.
His last few years were spent mostly at home, but he had a rich prayer life and spent much time in prayer for Immanuel Baptist Church in New Bedford, his beloved church and church family.
Visiting hours will be at 10:00 am on Tuesday, April 17th at the Wilson Chapel at 479 County Street, New Bedford. The funeral service will be at 11:00, followed by burial at the Oak Grove cemetery.