Margaret Bailey

Margaret "C" Burgess Bailey passed away at the age of 98 on December 24, 2021 in Spring Valley, California. Margaret was born on April 15, 1923 in King George County Virginia to Roland A Burgess and Viola May Shelton. Known by her nickname "C", Margaret had five brothers and one sister.

Margaret attended Dahlgren United Methodist Church, and she was a member of Girl Scout Troop I in Dahlgren Virginia. She graduated from King George High School in June 1939.

Margaret learned to fly the family's Piper Cub plane and soloed on October 18, 1941. Among other activies, she joined in duck hunting with her brothers near their home in Dahlgren.

Margaret worked from 1941 to 1947 both at the Naval Proving Ground, Dahlgren, Virginia as a clerk-typist in the accounting department and then as a senior clerk for two construction contractors at Andrews Field, Washington, D.C.

At the end of WWII and the completion of her employers' government contracts, Margaret moved cross-country to La Mesa California. In La Mesa, Margaret worked as office manager for Drew Motor Company. She bought a new 1947 Ford V-8 "Sup. Del Sed. Cpe 79A" for the price, including sales tax and license plates, of $1287.12! Margaret enjoyed horseback riding and road trips. She would drive all the way back to Virginia for family visits and keep track of the stops along the way in a travel log.

Besides her day job at Drew Ford, Margaret attended night accounting classes at Balboa University, San Diego. Things changed for Margaret in 1950, when she married Edwin Bailey, an industrial engineer at Solar Aircraft in San Diego. Her job description became home maker in Lake Murray and then Spring Valley, which she performed with great success, being a great wife, raising two children, dealing with a succession of cats and managing the planning of provisions for numerous road trips throughout the United States, and Mexico. One of the extensive road trips involved a car/trailer drive from Spring Valley CA, into Alberta Canada and all the way across the unpaved Alaska Highway into Alaska.

In June of 1976 Margaret graduated from the Grossmont College Dental Assisting program at

Grossmont College, El Cajon, CA. She worked for a number of years at the front-office for a local dental practice.

After retiring from the dental field, Margaret and Ed traveled extensively, taking many world tours to Europe, China, Nepal, Egypt, Australia and New Zealand, to name a few. After Ed's passing in 2003, Margaret was resolute in staying very independent. She continued to enjoy cruises and tours, sometimes accompanied by her sister. During one cruise, on Tuesday December 1, 2009, Margaret crossed the Panama Canal aboard the Celebrity Infinity. She and the other passengers were awarded a certificate to commemorate the event. Margaret was up for any adventure; whether it be piloting the Piper Cub, horseback riding, taking road trips, dabbling in playing the piano, learning some Spanish vocabulary, taking world tours or raising kids, she was ready for it.

Margaret is survived by her daughter Karen Bailey Smuts of Coeur d Alene Idaho; son Bruce Bailey of Tucson, AZ; grandchildren Shawn and Nicole, great-grand daughter Addison; and numerous relatives in the San Diego area and in Virginia and New England.