Obituary of Porter Dumas Bailey

Bailey, Porter Dumas

Porter Dumas Bailey, age 89, went to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Oct. 13, 2019.

He was devoted to God and to his family. Not only was he a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, son, brother, uncle, friend and neighbor, but he also cared greatly for people he did not know. Mr. Bailey was a long-time member of First Baptist Church, Pell City. He served with distinction for 37 years in the military, first in the U.S. Army then in the U.S. Air Force (Alabama Air National Guard). He achieved the rank of chief master sergeant, the highest rank of a non-commissioned officer. Through his work as a liaisan to Shriners Hospitals for Children in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Greenville, S.C., many children received corrective orthopedic surgery, prosthetic limbs and burn treatment. He helped to organize the St. Clair County chapter of the American Red Cross and assisted hundreds of people all over Alabama during natural disasters.

He was born Sept. 7, 1930, the son of Vernie Lee Bailey and Jessie Lou Dumas Bailey. He was preceded in death by his parents, as well as his sisters, Gertrude Bailey Jackson, Guila Faye Bailey Siddall, Mary Jo Bailey Ratliff, and Lucille Bailey.

Mr. Bailey is survived by his wife of 67 years, Mildred Odean Robinson Bailey; daughters, Deborah Bailey Garrett (Jerry), Karen Bailey Hooks (Don), and Leigh Bailey Pritchett (Lee), all of Pell City; sister, Jacqueline Bailey Lee; grandchildren, Jesse Hooks (Rhonda), Jason Garrett (Amy), Sarah Harris-Hooks (Bronzie), Zachary Hooks, Savannah Pritchett, Grace Pritchett, and Caroline Pritchett; great-grandchildren, Madelynn and Claire Garrett; Rebekah, Victoria, Abigail and Charlotte Hooks; Atticus Harris; McKenzie and Bentley Bridges; and a host of nieces and nephews.

The funeral service was held Oct. 16, 2019, at First Baptist Church, Pell City. Dr. John Thweatt officiated and the Rev. A.L. Courtney assisted. Members of Ben M. Jacobs Masonic Lodge No. 643 served as pallbearers. A graveside service with military honors followed in St. Clair Memorial Gardens.

Usrey Funeral Home of Pell City directed.

The family appreciates the love and care offered to Mr. Bailey and his family by St. Vincent’s Hospice and the staff of Sitting Angels, as well as visits from family, friends and neighbors.

Memorials may be made to The Gideons International (The St. Clair Gideons-East, P.O. Box 973, Pell City, AL 35125) or to St. Vincent's Hospice (St. Vincent's Foundation, One Medical Park East Drive, Birmingham, AL 35235).