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Johnie Bryan,
“Grandpaw” Bailey, passed away Saturday, March 29, 2003,
in McDade, Texas, at “The Farm,” The place he loved to
be.
Services will be held at 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 2,
2003, at the First Baptist Church in Sweeny, Texas, with the
Rev. Jerl Watkins, Rev. Geary McManus, and Dr. Skip Bassham
officiating.
Burial will follow in Sweeny Cemetery.
Bryan was born July 8, 1913, in Dublin, Erath County, Texas,
the 4th of seven children to Jonah Erwin Bailey of Lewis
County, Tennessee, and Josie Ann Rinehart Bailey, of
Cherokee County, Alabama.
In 1929, he came to Sweeny, Texas and attended Sweeny
School. This is where he met Opal Redding. They were married
August 1, 1933, in East Bernard, Texas and had been married
63 years at the time of her death, March 15, 1997.
May 2, 1944, he entered World War II and served until
November 11, 1945, as part of the 34th Division, 133rd
Infantry, Red Bull Division.
He is survived by his wife, Carolyn; his son and
daughter-in-law, J.C. & Helen Bailey of Sweeny;
daughters and sons-in-law, Jo Berta & Donnie Flickinger
of Sweeny, Beverly & Allen McNiel of Ashwood and Brenda
& Dr. Charles “Skip” Bassham of Nashville, Arkansas;
ten grandchildren, Jonah and Marc Bailey, Donna Gregurek and
Kelly Rayburn of Sweeny, Bryan McNiel and Lorie McNiel of
Houston, Melissa DeWalt of Big Sandy, Brent Bassham of
Tyler, Vanessa Wise of Houston and Josie Howe of Wurzburg,
Germany; eleven great-grandchildren, Adrienne, Sara and
Justin of Sweeny, Matt Gregurek of San Antonio; Chris and
Jayson Gregurek, McCall and Jake Rayburn of Sweeny, Bailey
and James DeWalt of Big Sandy and Chandell Howe of Wurzburg,
Germany; a stepdaughter, Fritzann Johnson & her husband
Brian and step-granddaughter, Judith and step-grandson,
Jeremiah; sisters-in-law, Ponnie Bailey of Sweeny and Gladys
Redding of Schulenburg; brothers and sisters-in-law, Durward
and Helen Emery of McDade, Fritz and Gail Wilke, Dean and
Margaret Wilke, Robert and Charlotte Martin and Ethelyn
Kingston of West Columbia; and many nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his brothers, Harvey Lee
“Slim,” Jesse Ervin, Paul Weldon, Rafel “R.D.,”
infant brother; one sister, Mildred; and
great-granddaughter, Ashlee Lauren Bailey.
Arrangements by Baker Funeral Home in West Columbia, Texas.
abstracted from
The Facts
April 1, 2003
Brazoria County, Texas
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