Mrs. Bailey-Drinkard was the owner of Beck’s Day Care Center that was the family business her mother started in 1963. Mary moved away for several years and when she returned she went to work with her mother at the daycare in 1976. Mary grew the business by adding a before and after school program to the center. Mary became owner after her mother’s passing in 2004. She continued to work until she retired in 2018. The business is still operated by her daughter-in-law, Leigh Bailey.
To know Mary was to love her. People saw her kindness and her loving heart. She was an angel to so many. She would go out of her way to do for others and especially for her family. The children at the daycare loved “Ms. Mary”. She touched so many children and families lives through the day care.
Mary was a loving daughter to her parents who she adored. She was a mother to three boys that she loved more than anything. When her grandchildren and great grandchildren came along that love grew even more. Mary was a shining example of what a good daughter, sister, mother and wife should be. Mary was steady in her Christian faith and she showed her love of God in all her actions. She was a member of Corpus Christi Catholic Church.
Mary was preceded in death by her father, Stephen H. Beck, and her mother, Daisy Beck; and her two brothers, David Beck and John
Beck. She is survived by her loving husband, James Drinkard; three children, Joseph (Leigh) Bailey, Paul Bailey and Mark (Dusty) Bailey; three step-daughters whom she loved dearly, Sharon (Thomas) Bederka, Rhonda (Steve) Taylor and Sandra (James) Willis; five adored grandchildren, Mary Lauren (Preston) Bailey-Connell, Paul (Elaina) Bailey, Jr, Griffin Bailey, David Bailey and Stephen Jacob “SJ” Bailey; three adored step-grandchildren, Blake Taylor, Sarah Willis, and Anna Willis; two great-grandchildren, Piper Connell and Beck Connell; two nieces, Ashley (Jon) Grimley (who was more like a granddaughter to her) and Loree (Danny) Gump; along with many beloved cousins. We would also like to add her health care worker, Shirletha Jones, who not only took care of her but became her and the family’s friend and will always be family.
Visitation and mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at Corpus Christi Catholic Church on Wednesday May 1, 2024. Visitation will be held from 9am-11am followed by mass. Interment will be in Mobile Memorial Gardens. The family would like to offer special thanks to the staff at the Retreat Saads Hospice for their love and care during the last days of her life. Condolences may be offered at www.radneyfuneralhome-mobile.com.
