Mrs. Jean (Billows) Bailey, 78, Lynn, passed away on Tuesday, April 16th, 2019 at the Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers, with her family by her side, after a battle with leukemia. She was the wife of the late Robert H. Bailey of Lynn, former principal of the Lynn Woods School, with whom she shared 34 years of marriage. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and former teacher.
Jean was born in Lynn on August 14, 1940. She was the daughter of the late Charles and Carol (Demakes) Billows. She was a lifelong resident of Lynn and was a 1958 graduate of Lynn English High School. She was an active member of both the First Church in Swampscott and the St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Lynn at different points in her life. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in education from Salem State College in 1962 and began her career as a teacher at the Highland School (now Ford) in Lynn later that same year. She met her beloved husband, Bob, while they were both teaching at the Highland School. She taught there for six years before leaving to raise her family in 1968. In 1983, she resumed her teaching career and taught in various elementary schools in Lynn before returning to teach 4th grade at the Ford School for many years. Jean was passionate about teaching. She loved the many students she taught over the course of her career and took great pleasure in mentoring and guiding them. She also treasured her numerous colleagues in the Lynn School Department and thought of them as family. She retired from teaching in 2002.
During her retirement, Jean enjoyed traveling and socializing with her many friends. She also loved spending time with her family, especially her children and grandchildren. She made a point to lift the spirits of others in whatever way she could, whether by sharing a smile, a joke, or a word of encouragement. She frequently expressed gratitude for her "wonderful life" and stated that she had no regrets. She lived life to the fullest until the very end and exhorted others to do the same. Her youthful exuberance, bright smile, inimitable laughter, fun-loving spirit, unfailing generosity, and kind heart will be dearly missed by her family members and many friends.
Jean is survived by her three devoted children: a daughter, Carolyn Bailey-Poirier, and her husband Michael Poirier of East Kingston, NH; a daughter, Dianne (Bailey) Logue, and her husband William of Lynn, both also Lynn schoolteachers, and a son, Christopher R. Bailey, of Middleton, and his wife, Erin. She also leaves five cherished grandchildren: Kyle W. Logue and his wife Brittany of Rollinsford, NH; Robert D. Logue of Lynn; Drew C. Logue of Lynn; Alexander J. Bailey of Middleton; and McKenzie Jean Bailey of Middleton. She also leaves a brother, Nicholas Billows, and his wife Gayle, of Ocean Township, NJ, a brother -in- law, Richard Bailey, and his wife Joyce, of Morgan Hill, CA,; a sister-in-law, Sandra Hook, and her husband Doug, of North Reading, as well as many dear cousins, nieces, and nephews.
Jean's visiting hours will be in the Cuffe-McGinn Funeral Home at 157 Maple Street in Lynn on Tuesday, April 23, 2019 from 3- 7 pm. Her funeral services will be held at the First Church in Swampscott, 40 Monument Ave. in Swampscott on Wednesday, April 24, 2019 at 10 am. Interment will be at Pine Grove Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Jean's name to Caring for a Cure, a charity founded by the nurses of the Mass. General Adult Hematology/Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant program. Checks can be made out to Caring for a Cure and mailed to Mass General Hospital Development Office, Attn: Caring for a Cure, 125 Nashua Street, Boston, MA 02114.
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