Victoria E. Bailey

Helga Victoria Ernestine Eckberg Bailey, age 90, known as Vicki to her friends, died on April 30, 2008. Born on a farm February 10, 1918 in New Sweden, Minnesota to Sanda Anderson and Aaron Eckberg she was the youngest of four children.

In 1935, following her graduation from high school in St. Peter Minnesota, Victoria moved to Minneapolis where she worked in accounting for Northwestern National Life Insurance Company and attended the University of Minnesota.

Both graceful and athletic and standing nearly 5'7" tall she earned the nickname "Flash" playing forward on a city league basketball team.

In 1942, invited to accompany a girlfriend who had found work here, Vicki moved to San Antonio, Texas. Here she discovered where all the young men in Minneapolis had disappeared to.

Her often remembered first impression of San Antonio was that in the one block in front of her downtown hotel she counted well over one hundred soldiersfinding someone to go dancing with would not be a problem.

During World War II her most interesting job was working for a group of Army psychologists who were studying Army pilots. Flying lessons followed.

Victoria's final stint in the 1940's business world was as an executive secretary for Earl and Tom Slick, Jr. of Slick Airways.

On December 16, 1950 in La Jolla, California, Victoria started her second career as wife, mother and homemaker when she married Milton H. Bailey, a Texas oilman. They settled in San Antonio and she started raising her family.

She was a woman who loved to travel, play the piano, took up painting in mid-life, cultivated friends of all ages and never ceased in her quest for spiritual growth.

She loved fashion and yet knew how to use a monkey wrench and was always open to new adventures.

She was preceded in death by her husband Milton H. Bailey, sister Marcella Kleve, brothers Wayne Eckberg and Merritt Eckberg.

She is survived by her daughter Sanda Elizabeth Bailey and life partner Pamela Saldana, her son Stephen Milton Bailey and wife Elizabeth Ann Castillo Bailey, grandsons Stephen Richard Bailey and Charles Aaron Bailey, great-grandson Joshua Aiden Bailey, many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be on Sunday, May 4th from 2:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. at Porter Loring on McCullough.