Margaret L. Bailey

Margaret Bailey, beloved wife of O.B. Bailey, passed away on August 29, 2021. She passed from this life to the next at home surrounded by her family and friends. Margaret “Peg” was born in Birmingham, Pennsylvania, on June 11, 1922, to Fred and Cora Kaup. After graduation from high school, she trained at Mercy Hospital in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Prior to graduating nursing school, she married O.B. “Tex” Bailey on June 3, 1944. He was on state-side leave from the war. On receiving her RN diploma, one of the sister’s said, “Now Miss Kaup! Did you do the right thing?” You see young ladies were not to get married until they had finished nursing school. Peg lived in Texas during her husband’s military service, and then they traveled to Bay Region, San Francisco, California, in Dec. 1945. She resumed her nursing career there. After several years in San Francisco, they traveled back to Texas. She worked at the hospital in Canadian, TX, and then her husband’s work brought them to Amarillo, TX, where she worked at Northwest Texas Hospital.

Margaret was well known to everyone as Peg. Surviving Peg are her five children; Donna (Mike) Kuhlman of Canyon, TX, Owen “Butch” (Ramona) Bailey of Amarillo, TX, Jack (Patricia) Bailey of Amarillo, TX, Kathy (Ken) Fuller of Amarillo, TX, and Pat (Glenn) Parker of Arlington, TX. Peg also leaves behind a host of family and friends.

Preceding her in death are her parents Fred and Cora Kaup of Pennsylvania, her husband O.B. Bailey of 49 years, one sister Polly Wilson of Pennsylvania, and two brothers Richard and George Kaup also of Pennsylvania. Peg was also preceded in death by two grandsons, C.M. Kuhlman of Canyon and Owen “Chad” Bailey of Amarillo, TX.

Grandchildren include Nicci (Matt) Howard of Boerne, TX, Jennifer (Casey) Sugg of Amarillo, Brandon (Lisa) Bailey of Goosecreek, SC, Celena (Jared) Travis of Amarillo, Cristi Stephens of Plains, TX, Stephanie Cox of Amarillo, Robert Fuller of Amarillo, John (Rhonda) Selman of Amarillo, Brian (Jennifer) Selman of Amarillo, Shari (Bryan) Slaughter of Fulton, MO, Timothy (Melissa) Parker of Longview, TX, along with 28 great grandchildren and 17 great great grandchildren.

Peg was a student of God’s word. Every time she read the Bible, she found something new she didn’t realize was there before. She was a long-time member of Covenant Presbyterian Church, a Sunday school teacher, an elder emeritus, writer of Peg’s Petals in the church’s newsletter, and served as the hospitality chairman for the women of Covenant. She attended Bible Study Fellowship for 21 years and served as a children’s leader for many of those years. She loved telling the children stories from God’s Holy Bible. Peg would always tell her family and friends, “God takes good care of me.” Peg has left a legacy that has spanned her 99 years on this earth. She loved everyone and everyone loved her. Peg was also a very good listener. If any of us had a problem, we would talk to Peg about it. She listened, gave some sound advice, and then she would pray on our behalf. Peg never left her nursing career behind. She was always taking care of her family. She told us more than once that she had no favorites. She loved all of us the same. Peg was known as friend, mom, grandma, Grandma Bailey, granny, granny step, and great granny step. All who were brought into the family were immediately grafted into Peg’s family tree. She loved us all and would tell us often, “You all are so good to me!”

Peg loved to bless her family at Christmas time. She made each family their favorite dessert. There was homemade fudge, pumpkin pies, lemon meringue pie, apple dumplings, banana pudding, and sand tart cookies. The family said, “Only Peg had the patience and the secret ingredient of love, to make the sand tart cookies wonderful.” She would give them to family as a gift, some going to different states and some even halfway around the world. No matter how the cookies arrived, the family members enjoyed them because they were from Peg.

Peg had a servant’s heart that never stopped caring and praying for others. When she was a child, she always wanted to be a missionary. At the age of 78 years young, God fulfilled that request. She went to Japan with Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ) to be a witness to others about her Lord and Savior to the people of Japan. Few people leave such a legacy of love and service as Peg did. She will be missed, but this is not good-bye, but see you soon.

Viewing will be at Griggs Schooler Gordon at 5400 Bell Ave in Amarillo, TX, from

6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. on Wednesday, September 1, 2021.

A graveside service will be held at Memory Garden Cemetery at 10:00 A.M. on Thursday followed by a memorial service at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Amarillo, TX, at 1400 Wolflin Ave. at 2:00 P.M. on September 2, 2021.

The family wishes to offer special thanks to the ER nurses and staff of N.W. Texas Hospital and a special thanks to nurse Christina at NW SICU, who went above and beyond for Peg and the family. We would also like to thank BSA Hospice of the Southwest care team that came along side of us to help with Peg’s last days.

In lieu of flowers, the family wishes memorial gifts to be sent to Covenant Presbyterian Church,