Our beloved parents, Lt. Col. Robert Bailey and Madonna Bailey passed away after 35 years of marriage. Madonna Bailey, 70, passed away on November 14th, 2021 and Robert Bailey followed her in death only weeks later on January 6th, 2022.
Madonna was born on June 3rd, 1952 in Detroit, MI to Walter and Mary Wasko. She is remembered as the bright, incredibly hard-working, dedicated business woman and community advocate she was. She cared deeply for everyone and there was never a doubt in how much she loved her family, friends and lifelong clients.
Madonna owned her own tax and accounting firm for close to 45 years in the Dearborn area. She also worked in the aesthetics and fashion industries for many years where she met many of her beloved friends and clients. While she wasn’t busy working, she you could find her involved in church activities at Divine Child Catholic Church.
Always quick witted, sassy, stubborn and vibrant, she lived a life of service to others and spoke enchantedly about the good old days in the Polish neighborhoods of Detroit - and how proud she was that she was the only grandkid who could speak Polish fluently.
Lt. Col. Robert Bailey was born on July 28th, 1934 in Bethlehem, PA to John Calhoun and Geneieve Bailey. He lived more lifetimes than one could count and made it his mission to live a BIG life. Born the middle of three brothers he was always so proud of his family and his New York upbringing as a Military brat traveling all over the county as a child.
Retiring Lt. Col. from the Air Force, as an ROTC and Columbia University Engineering student and officer, Robert spent his youth exploring the world with the USAF and was fascinated by aviation. His adventures landed him in law school at the University of Michigan and then on to serving as a corporate litigation attorney for Ford Motor Company for several decades. It was rare to find him not sporting his Wolverine pride or boasting about his love of a Ford vehicle - which he was always first to point out and proudly helped many friends and family purchase.
After his first time retiring, he became the Dean of Students at a local college where he also taught law classes, then on to practice at Moms accounting firm where he celebrated 50 years with the Michigan State Bar just before becoming the BEST senior volunteer The Henry Ford Museum could ever ask for - a role he took very seriously!
There are so many more memories than we can put into words. So many more things to thank them for than we can express. So many more than just their family that they have blessed. And so many more moments we all wish we had left on this side of Heaven.
As a couple, Robert and Madonna were a dynamic and loving duo. They were always finding ways to help those they love and having fun along the way. They are survived by their daughters Angelique Bolding and Nikki DeYonke, granddaughters, Alexandra and Katiana DeYonke, brother Thomas Bailey, great grandson, Eric DeYonke, nieces and nephews, Rick Bailey, Michael Bailey, Debra Tietjen, Tanya Coscia and predeceased by their parents Walter and Mary Wasko, John and Geneive Bailey, brothers Jack Bailey and Walter Wasko and granddaughter, Anastasia DeYonke.
A celebration of life for Lt.Col Robert B. and Madonna M. Bailey will be held Friday, April 14, 2023 at 10:00 AM at Church of the Divine Child, 1055 Silvery Ln, Dearborn, Michigan. A reception will follow. Please R.S.V.P. by emailing [email protected] for head count on the luncheon.
