Thomas Henry Bailey

Our beloved Thomas Henry Bailey, passed away peacefully on Friday, July 21st, at the age of 77. Born to the late John E. Bailey and Celia Yawn Bailey on March 9th, 1946, Thomas grew up in rural Kali Oka, the youngest of eight children, and attended Vigor High School, where he met his future wife, Diane Gaba. They were married almost 58 years, and had two children, Donna and Steven. Thomas found work as a welder at Bender’s Shipyard, but a tragic motorcycle accident when he was twenty-four left him an amputee, and he retrained as a computer technician, beginning a long and successful career supporting medical imaging equipment, most recently with Siemens Medical Systems. He and Diane built their dream home on Gunnison Creek in Satsuma in 1993, a house that became a haven for generations of children, grandchildren and extended family for years to come.

Thomas loved hunting and fishing, could build or repair almost anything, and enjoyed reading mysteries and thrillers, and watching old westerns and anything with John Wayne or Clint Eastwood. During college football season, he and his family and friends would gather on Saturdays to cheer on the Alabama Crimson Tide. He was a loving and protective father and PawPaw who enjoyed seeing his grandkids grow up. He was so excited t o meet his first great-grandchild, Addie Bell, just this year, and always kept photos of her nearby.

Thomas is survived by his wife, Diane Gaba Bailey, of Satsuma, AL; his children Donna (Darrell) McDaniel of Mobile, AL, and Steven Bailey of Seattle, WA; his grandchildren Steffan McDaniel of Mobile, AL, Ansley (AJ) Bell of Spring Hill, TN, and Cooper Bailey of Seattle, WA; his great granddaughter Addie Bell of Spring Hill, TN; and his sisters Louise Stapleton of Semmes, Al, and Virginia (Robert) Barlow of Spanish Fort, AL, and Diana Patnaude of Springfield, MO. He is predeceased by his sisters Audrey Bailey and Bonnie Stokley, and brothers Max Bailey and Douglas Bailey.

A memorial service will be held at Forest Lawn Funeral Home at 9700 Celeste Road, Saraland, AL on Wednesday, July 26th, 2023. Viewing will begin at 10am with a service to follow in the chapel at 11am. A graveside interment ceremony will commence immediately following the memorial at the Forest Lawn Cemetery a few hundred yards north of the funeral building.