Janice V Bailey

Janice Virginia Bailey, (nee McEuen) died peacefully on December 1, 2020. She is survived by her daughter April R. Bailey (her children Aidan and Erin); son Adam R. Bailey (Nancy and their children, Amanda, Kyle, Cody and his wife, Kylie); and Mason, son of her predeceased daughter, Allison R. Skidmore. Her husband of 64 years, Robert S. Bailey, passed in 2018.

Janice was born in Bristol, PA, on March 11, 1932, and received her teaching degree from West Chester University. She took her career seriously and exhibited tremendous pride in her elementary students’ success, throughout Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Jan’s favorite academic week, was volunteering to teach 6th graders every year, while they camped at Mount Misery, in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.

After ending her 25-year teaching career with the Cherry Hill School District, she maintained her volunteer work for Contact 609, a crisis hotline. Her spirit of volunteerism continued after she retired to Sun City West, AZ, with Meals on Wheels, Habitat for Humanity, Methodist church activities and teaching locals to speak English. She loved her numerous trips abroad as much as driving a fifth wheel trailer, throughout US national parks and campgrounds. She white knuckled both a hot air balloon ride over the desert and a mule ride, down the Grand Canyon. She couldn’t wait to raft and step foot in the Colorado River, but afterward, exclaimed that her favorite body of water, was still the cool ocean off of Long Beach Island, NJ, where she made many memories sailing and body surfing in rough weather, with her cousin Alan, during her younger days.

She enjoyed her 25 year retirement in Arizona and especially loved her hand made Indian jewelry, casinos, and cowgirl hat. She always walked her Sun City West neighborhood with a pebble filled soda bottle, to scare off coyotes. She took up basket weaving and played a solid tennis game, several times a week. She and Robert returned to New Jersey in 2014, and in 2017, relocated to assisted living in Voorhees, NJ, where she continued to meet her retired “teacher buddies” for lunch.

Janice’s patience, kind heart, and great sense of humor, will leave an indelible memory. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.