William D. Bailey, Jr., in the presence of his loving wife and family, went to be with the Lord on November 26, 2012 at the age of 76. He is survived by his loving wife of 24 years Judy (Patti) Bailey. He is also survived by 5 loving children and their spouses: Peter and Barbara Bailey, Charles and Miranda Ware, Timothy Bailey, Cynthia and Rodger Strachan, and Christopher and Kathy Bailey. He is survived by his sisters Betty Thayer, Susan Bailey, Kathy Lovell, Joan Cronin and his brother Robert Bailey. He is also survived by his “prides of joy”, 15 truly loved grandchildren. He was born July 3, 1936 in Syracuse, New York. He lived and grew up in Syracuse until his graduation from St. Vincent de Paul High School in 1954. He then attended and graduated (Class of 58) from The Citadel (Charleston, SC) with a degree in Business Administration. He completed his education at Syracuse University, receiving his MBA. After graduating from the Citadel, he entered the Air Force and had a distinguished 20 year career. During his Air Force career, he achieved the rank of Lt. Colonel, and made numerous contributions, including: Managing “Operation Homecoming”, the program that brought home and acclimated our POWs after Vietnam. He then served as the Executive Officer to his mentor, General Jack Flynn, and completed his military career. Upon retiring from the military in 1978, he began a banking career that spanned the next 20 years. During that time, he held various Senior Management positions in the industry. In addition, he made numerous contributions to civic organizations, including: Southwest Craft Center Board Member, Chairman (local chapter) American Red Cross, Committee Member for Armed Forces Week and an active member of Coker United Methodist Church. He was a vital member of Coker United Methodist Men’s Group, serving as “Executive Chef” for several years and an active member in Questors. He had many hobbies and interests including: Cooking (always the life of the kitchen party), Hunting, Sports, Singing and Telling Stories, and most importantly spending time with his loved ones. The family will receive friends from 5:00PM to 8:00PM, on Thursday November 29th, 2012 at Porter Loring Mortuary North. SERVICE, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2012, 1:00 PM, COKER UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, 231 EAST NORTH, LOOP ROAD. Rev. Barbara Galloway will officiate. Interment with Military Honors will follow in Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery on Monday December 3rd, 2012 at 9:45AM. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Coker UMC Methodist Men’s Group, at 231 East North Loop Road, San Antonio, Texas 78216 or www.coker.org, and will be used to further the missions that he felt were so critically important. You are invited to sign the Guestbook at www.porterloring.com. Tags: 1958
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