John Bailey

John Bailey, age 83, of Elkhorn, Nebraska passed away on Friday, January 31, 2025, at Methodist Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska.

Marvin “John” Bailey was born November 26, 1941, the youngest of Walter and Darlene (Spickelmier) Bailey’s three sons. He was raised on the family farm just outside of Dickens, Nebraska and was blessed to grow up surrounded by many cousins and wonderful neighboring families. John attended a one room elementary schoolhouse named Lakeview School. During his middle school years, he worked two summers as a hired hand for Mrs. Linke on a ranch near Bassett, Nebraska. It was quite an adventure for a scrawny seventh grade farm kid. He attended Lexington High School for a couple of years before graduating from Hayes Center High School in 1960. John has many fond memories from his high school days and has kept in touch with dear friends from both Lexington and Hayes Center.

 In the years following high school, John started working on his Bachelor of Accounting degree at Kearney State Teachers College in Kearney, Nebraska. After a year and a half, he followed the adventurous path of being a long-range trucker for W&W Trucking out of Culbertson, Nebraska. His routes took him to the West Coast and South Texas many times. After that adventure, John returned to Kearney State where he received his degree in two and a half years. While at college, he got set up on a blind date with a redhead named Carolyn Reynolds, who lived in the nearby town of Odessa, Nebraska. After a short courtship, John decided Carolyn was the one and they got married on December 19, 1965. They were married 59 years until his passing.

After getting married, John and Carolyn moved to Grand Island, Nebraska where they would live for many years. While John worked at the telephone company Northwestern Bell in marketing, they started their family with their first child, Nancy Lynn. She was joined by Cindy Jo, just one year later. Their third daughter Amy Sue came about a year and a half later.

After a few years in Grand Island, John decided to try his hand at real estate which he soon discovered he excelled at. He worked for Gateway Realty for several years and while there he was the lead developer of Le Heights in Northwest Grand Island. He went on to be a founding member of Associated Realty. He enjoyed selling residential as well as commercial real estate and liked being his own boss and setting his own schedule. During this busy period of life, John and Carolyn’s final child, a son, Matthew John, joined the growing family. John remained in the real estate business for 55 years. As if four children and the real estate ventures were not enough It was during this period that John started buying farmland near where he grew up in western Nebraska. The family spent many hours in the car visiting both sets of grandparents and traveling west to the farm.

While the kids were growing up, you could find John and Carolyn attending a variety of their activities, including church work trips, 4H, Boy Scouts, swimming, and other sports. They loved supporting their kids and hearing about everything that was going on with them and their friends. They were active members of Trinity United Methodist Church, and their family was known for sliding into one of the front pews right as the service started on more than one occasion.

One of John’s greatest passions was his love of travel. The family took countless road trips in their trusty station wagon and ultimately in a tricked-out Chevy diesel van. John was a curious and adventurous traveler, always seeking out unique stops and people to entertain and educate the family. There are numerous stories and memories we will all hold dear, whether it was the RV trip to Alaska or the “diesel dance” we performed when the diesel van odometer rolled over and started at zero again.

A close second to the love John had for travel, was his love of working the land. The farm was not just his work, but his passion, a place where he found purpose and joy. He valued a hard day’s work and passed along that work ethic to the next generation. He enjoyed the simple pleasures of the farm including riding in the combine during harvest, mowing the property, touring the pastures in an ATV, viewing the beautiful sunsets, and always, without fail, building a nightly fire for the family to gather round, look at the stars, and sing songs. In later years, one of the family’s favorite activity was rides from Grandpa in a powered parachute which he and his brother Dick built together.

One of John’s greatest gifts was how special he made people feel in his presence. The greatest recipients of his adoration were his six grandchildren. He beamed with pride whenever he talked about any of them. He had a special relationship with each of them and will have a positive impact on their lives far beyond the time he was able to spend with them.

In John’s later years, he and Carolyn moved from Grand Island to Elkhorn (suburb just outside of Omaha) to be closer to their family. It was very common for the family to gather at Grandma and Grandpa’s on Sunday night for a family meal. Summers were filled with grandkids and their friends enjoying the pool in the backyard. It was a blessing to have family right down the road for the last few years.

A life so well lived leaves behind a legacy of love, hard work, and gratitude. Though he is no longer with us, John’s spirit will remain in the fields he walked, in the lessons he taught, and in the hearts of those he loved.

John is survived by his wife, Carolyn, four children: Nancy Bailey Spidle of Omaha, Nebraska, Cindy Bailey of Overland Park, Kansas, Amy Bailey of Omaha, Nebraska and Matthew Bailey of Manhattan Beach, California; six grandchildren: John, Jacob, Abigail and Luke Spidle, Harper and Avery Bailey; one brother: Richard (Dick) Bailey of Omaha, Nebraska. Additional survivors include many cherished cousins, nieces, and nephews on both sides of the family.

John was preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Darlene; an older brother Stanley; and a sister-in-law Bea Bailey.

Pallbearers are grandsons and nephews: John Spidle, Jacob Spidle, Luke Spidle, Allen Bailey, Andrew Bailey, and Adam Bailey.

Memorials are suggested in John’s name to the Palisade Volunteer Fire and Rescue, PO Box 263. Palisade, NE 69040, or the Culbertson 4th of July Celebration, PO Box 353, Culbertson, NE 69024.

Click on this link to view memories of John Bailey's well-lived life. The first file is a 22-minute highlight reel. The other files contain the full two-hour interview by topic. --> https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zbukS_vyFIMEEcmvHYjZVqDzVf396zaR?usp=sharing 

There will be a public visitation at McCook Christian Church, McCook, NE, on Friday, February 7, 2025, from 12:30-1:30 pm.

The funeral service will follow the visitation at McCook Christian Church on Friday, February 7, 2025, at 1:30 PM, with Reverand Shannon Williams and Pastor Seth Bates officiating.

For those who can't make the service, the family would love for you to still join them. The service will be livestreamed by the McCook Christain Church -->  https://www.mccookchristian.church/ 

Burial will be at the Valley Cemetery, N Ave 375, Maywood, NE.