Vernon Michael “Mike” Bailey, age 74, passed away on December 11th, 2019, at 7:03 am in the comfort of his own home in Hamilton, Texas, after a short battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his loved ones at the time and is preceded in death by his parents, Nadine and Vernon Bailey and his younger brother, Patrick “Pat” Bailey.
Mike was born in Beaumont, Texas on March 9th, 1945, the oldest son of Vernon and Nadine Bailey. He grew up in the Dallas-Metroplex area. As a child, his father instilled in him a love for big trucks and the value of hard work. As he grew older, he developed a true love for his country and countrymen. In 1964, he joined the Army and served proudly as a Green Beret and Army Ranger in the 101st and 82nd Airborne. Mike was a Vietnam veteran, who bravely fought in the Vietnam War from 1966 to 1967. There was never a man more proud to have served his country than Mike Bailey.
In March of 1968, Mike met the love of his life, Cynthia “Cindy” Bailey. It only took five months for him to know that she was “the one” and they married August 23rd, 1968 and remained married for 51 years. Together, they had one daughter, Stephanie (Bailey) Gray, born on September 21st, 1970. She quickly became the light of her Daddy’s life and completed their family. Stephanie was a true “daddy’s girl”, in every sense of the words, and idolized him from the moment she was born. Mike supported his family as a truck driver. He drove trucks for 50 years and loved every minute of it. Over the years, in his spare time, Mike enjoyed putting together military models. He spent hours on each model, perfecting every detail.
On January 7th, 1993, Mike became a Pawpaw. His grandson, Bryce Durrett, was the apple of his eye. He never missed a moment to spend with Bryce. Their bond was unbreakable. He spent many hours with his grandson and friends, outside, telling stories and jokes; listening to music; and shooting clay pigeons. Mike is survived by his wife, Cindy Bailey, of Hamilton, Texas; his daughter, Stephanie Gray and husband, Gary, of Carrollton, Texas; his grandson, Bryce Durrett, of Hamilton, Texas; his aunt, Lafawn Robertson, of Albuquerque, New Mexico; his nieces, Martha Kelso, and husband, Kyle, of Keller, Texas and Adele King, and husband, Michael, of Colorado City, Texas; his nephew, Ray Barnett and wife, Sabrina, of Burleson, Texas; and many many others who loved and cherished him.
A visitation will be held Sunday, December 15th, at Riley Funeral Home in Hamilton, Texas from 2-4 pm. Services will be Tuesday, December 17th, with a visitation at 10 am and the funeral following directly after at 11 am, located at Northside Baptist Church in Carrollton, Texas. He will be interred at the DFW Memorial Cemetery on December 18th at 9:30 am.
