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River Cities Funeral Chapel: View ObituaryPosted on 09/25/2024
 | JOHN WILLIAM BAILEY
February 4, 1941 – August 7, 2024
John William Bailey passed away at his care home in West Sacramento. His wife of 57 years, Sandra Bailey, and his two adult children, John Bailey and Catharine Baker, were by his side. John had lived with Parkinson's disease for several years.
John was born in Phoenix, Arizona, to Clara and George Bailey, and grew up in Muscoy, California. After graduating from San Bernardino High School, he worked as a driver for his father's office machinery business and as an engineering clerk in the surveyor's office for the County of San Bernardino. He also took courses at San Bernardino Valley College.
In 1962, John enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He served two enlistments for a total of eight years. John served as a GCI/GCA air traffic controller and graduated from the Defense Language Institute (DLI) in Monterey, California, one of the best language schools in the world. There he took courses in Vietnamese and excelled at studying Mandarin, and he received one of the highest awards from the school, the Association of the U.S. Army Award. Upon completion of his studies at the DLI, John worked in both GCI/GCA and cryptography, serving in Hawaii, Japan, and Taiwan. He became a Staff Sergeant, received several letters of commendation, and was awarded the Dress Blue Award, the Good Conduct Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal. John was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in 1970.
John met Sandy at Travis Air Base in California, and they married in December 1966. Their first child, John, was born in 1969. After his honorable discharge, John moved his wife and son to Palm Springs, California, where he went to work with his older brother, Fred Bailey, and their father, George, at their small family business, Valley Office Equipment. In 1971, shortly after they moved to Cathedral City, Sandy and John's second child, Catharine, was born. John worked at and co-owned Valley Office Equipment for over 30 years before retiring in 2004. He and Sandy then moved to West Sacramento to be closer to Sandy's family and their newborn twin grandchildren.
John was a wonderful, dedicated grandfather to his grandchildren Tyler, Mackenzie, Kate, and Alex. He took each of them on many adventures and shared in their milestone moments. He also volunteered at the Aerospace Museum of California at the former McClellen Air Force Base and made several dozen specialized airplane models for display at the Planes of Fame Museum in Chino. He volunteered as a crewman racing catamarans and as a pit crewman and driver for a professional motorcyclist. He also learned Italian. John was a lifelong gearhead, which culminated in building a Factory Five Cobra kit car and completely rebuilding the original 1955 Chevy Bel Air his childhood friend Darrell Philpott and he drove around San Bernardino growing up.
John had a lifelong love of motorcycles. He enjoyed road trips on his Honda or Suzuki motorcycles, and in his 50s he began racing his Ducati 888SPO and Bimota SB6R motorcycles at Daytona, Willow Springs, Sears Point, and Laguna Seca. He also enjoyed riding ATVs in the sand dunes of Glamis and Pismo with his son. He instilled in his daughter his love of the outdoors and hiking, and in his son his love of riding ATVs in the sand dunes and building cars.
John was a sociable, friendly person. He had an incredible curiosity about all things, was quick to make friends, and was a kind and generous neighbor. He was a patriot who loved America and contributed to charities supporting wounded veterans.
John is survived by his wife, Sandy, whom he loved dearly; their two children John Bailey (Camille) and Catharine Baker (Dan); their, four grandchildren Tyler Bailey (Claire), Mackenzie Bailey, and Kate and Alex Baker; and John's siblings Fred Bailey, Susan Lethbridge, Elizabeth Harrison, Nancy Downing, and Lucinda Bailey.
A memorial service for John will be held September 28, 11:00 a.m., at River Cities Funeral Chapel, 910 Soule Street, West Sacramento, California. |
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