Bessemer O. Bailey, 85, of Blairsville, PA (Blacklick Twp.) went to be with the Lord and reunited with his wife, Elizabeth on Wednesday, January 7, 2009 at his home.The son of George A. and Martha A. (Ledford) Bailey, he was born October 19, 1923 in Blue Ridge, GA.He was a member of the First Assembly of God, Blairsville, and the Promise Keepers.Bessemer was the last child born in Blue Ridge, GA on the family farm. They migrated north and settled in New Alexandria, PA where the last five children were born. Bessemer worked for American Bridge Co., Homestead, PA as a thermite welder until he went into the US Navy in 1943. He served in the South Pacific on the SS Elixu Thompson, SS General Anderson, SS Maris Sanford and the USS EX Deane, three of which took on enemy fire. After the service, he worked 40 years for Roberts and Schaefer Construction Co., Chicago, Illinois building coal tipples in the coalfields of the United States and Canada. He enjoyed the outdoors and keeping busy with gardening, yard work, traveling and watching the alpacas on his farm.Surviving are two daughters, Sandra Kirkland and husband, William of Blairsville and Regina Evers and husband, Allen of Charleston, WV; five grandchildren, Suzy Boros, Jeff Kirkland, Becky Kirkland, Christ Evers and Alex Evers; two great grandsons, Aaron Fritz and Alex Kirkland; one brother, Marvin Bailey of Hendersonville, NC; three sisters, Tiny Carradine of Greensburg; Edna Stockdale of Bella Vista, Arkansas and Erna Jones of Ligonier.He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Elizabeth (Phelps) Bailey on July 3, 1994; two brothers, Eimer and Carl Bailey and four sisters, Bernice Beaumarriage, Minnie Murray, Nellie Campbell and Romae Fatora.The family will receive friends from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 P.M. Friday at the Shoemaker Funeral Home, Inc., 49 N. Walnut St., Blairsville, PA. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 A.M. Saturday at the funeral home with Rev. Charles S. Kitner officiating.Interment will be in Twin Valley Memorial Park, Delmont, PA.Memorial contributions may be made to the VNA/Hospice Foundation, 119 Professional Center, Suite 303, 1265 Wayne Ave., Indiana, PA 15701; First Assembly of God, 987 Old Wm. Penn Hwy., Blairsville, PA 15717 or to the Disabled American Veterans, VA Regional Office, 1000 Liberty Ave. Rm. 1606, Pittsburgh, Pa 15222.
To order
memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Bessemer O. Bailey, please visit our
flower store.
