Blair Steven Bailey

  Blair Bailey, the son of Frank and Blanche (Franker) Bailey was born September 14, 1951 in Cherokee, Iowa.  His childhood years were spent in Peterson where he received his education graduating from Sioux Valley High School in 1971.

     He “studied life” at Iowa State University in Ames for 3½ years before he moved home to help is mother and Aunt Ida run Bailey’s Café on Main Street in Peterson, IA.  He also worked with brother Kirby in a mobile home factory in Wisconsin, at the Milford Meat locker with brother Ken, the Spencer Pack and was a foreman at Superior Grease Gun Factory where he supervised his future wife.  He was a machinist at Eaton Corporation in Spencer for 38 years retiring in September 2017.  He was a company man and took pride in his contributions to making Eaton successful.

Blair’s first date with Anita Shuck was on Friday the 13^th of February in 1976 and they married six months later on August 14. A 12’ x 60’ mobile home in Blanche’s backyard was their first home. Amber was born in 1979 and Gina came in 1980.

They moved to Spencer in 1985 and lived there until 2006 when they moved into the Shuck family home on Terrace Park in West Okoboji.  

Blair was a sweet, thoughtful and quiet man. He was intensely private, but really enjoyed his family and friends. He listened well and people paid attention when he spoke.  He enjoyed bicycling into his 50’s, golf, especially the “Old Fart’s League” with Roger and Denny, keeping the computer running & secure and general tinkering with Gina.  Together they could fix about anything. He coached softball when the girls were little. Blair was a lifelong Cyclone fan and enjoyed attending games with Amber.  Gina rocked Blair’s world in September of 2013 when his extraordinary granddaughter, Valerie was born.  Especially in retirement, they were buddies.  He took her to and from the school bus stop, was Valerie’s favorite beach pal & he tried to behave when they played school.  She did send him to OES Principal Bouse occasionally.

Blair died unexpectedly & peacefully in his sleep on July 19, 2019.  He was an organ donor and encouraged everyone to visit with the Iowa Donor Network.

Left to treasure his memory are his wife Anita, daughters Amber and Gina, granddaughter Valerie and her siblings: Cody (Emily), Jason (Taylor), Breann (Brady) and Brady (Ashley), siblings Karen Otto, Littleton CO, Don Bailey, Pomeroy, IA, Gail Plagman, Okoboji, IA and Terry (Mary Jo) Bailey, Council, Bluffs, IA. His big boy cat from Ronda Ellis, Tuxedo  Bailey, the family lap warmer will miss him too.

Blair was the baby of nine and was preceeded in death by his parents; brothers Kirby & Ken and sisters, Kay & Susan, nephews Kevin Bailey (Kirby) and Rodney Plagman (Gail), Sisters-in-law, Roxy Bailey (Kirby), J.J. Bailey (Ken), Judy Bailey (Don), Christine Marris and Dolores Shuck and brothers-in-law, Charles Bowers (Kay), Paul B. Otto (Karen) and Ellis Plagman (Gail).

All of his friends and family will really miss this gentle man.  The world has lost a good one. 

SERVICES

INTERMENT