Barbara Jean Reid Bailey

Barbara Jean Reid Bailey, age 84, of Roanoke, Virginia died Thursday, November 28, 2024. Born on August 14, 1940, in Roanoke, Virginia, Bobbie spent her first 7 years in Roanoke before her family moved to Covington, Virginia, where they owned and operated Reid’s Grill and Hotel. Her devotion to the King James Version of the Bible came from many hours memorizing verses through Bible sword drills at Covington Baptist Church. She graduated in 1957 from Covington High School and from Mary Baldwin as a member of the Class of 1961, majoring in music. She formed a band at Mary Baldwin called the Skyscrapers that would play at local events. After graduation, she moved to New York City, working at the Mutual of New York and meeting her husband James Russell Bailey, Jr. Bobbie and Russ married in New York’s Christ Church Methodist on July 6, 1963. They moved, along with their daughter Laura, to Birmingham, Alabama, in 1966. Bobbie lived in the same house in the Crestline neighborhood of Birmingham for 46 years until she moved back to Roanoke, Virginia, in 2012.

Bobbie could learn how to do anything she set her mind to. At the top of the list, she was a prolific, creative, and masterful knitter for her entire adult life. Her creations were truly one-of-a-kind – frequently designed from her own patterns. Her love of crafts extended to sewing, needlework, quilting, and woodwork. She made many of her children’s beautiful clothes when they were young, including matching ones for herself. She enjoyed sharing that she taught herself how to refinish much of their wooden furniture – a story emblematic of her resourcefulness and independence. None of her children will forget how she single-handedly moved large pieces of furniture using a skateboard and other clever tricks. She loved getting things done herself – and being herself – even (and especially) when that did not fit other people’s expectations.

Bobbie took care of her family. She dutifully cooked meals for years and years – never missing a dinner time. When her children were little, she saw that they were involved in music, church and sports. She kept up the house and the yard – mowing the yard herself well into her 70s and regularly planting beautiful flowers in the front and back yards.

Bobbie loved biking! Never getting a driver’s license, her bike was her main way to get around on her own. No other adults in her neighborhood biked as part of their daily errands – and that did not bother her at all. Some in Crestline called her the Bike Lady – a title she earned. Her love of biking was passed down to all three of her children. Bobbie enjoyed other active pursuits such as playing tennis for many years with her friends at Highland Racquet Club and later showing off her footwork and dance moves in group aerobics classes at the Jewish Community Center.

Bobbie was preceded in death by her husband of 41 years, James Russell Bailey, Jr., who spent his career at Protective Life Insurance Company. She is survived by her three children, Laura Meadows Bailey Rhodes and Al of Nashville, Tennessee, James Russell Bailey III and Rhesa of Roanoke, Virginia, and Robert Reid Bailey and Elaine of Charlottesville, Virginia; her grandchildren Jackson Bailey Rhodes and fiancée Sarah of Nashville, Tennessee, Samuel Crossland Rhodes and Aden of Knoxville, Tennessee, Henry Alchron Rhodes of Nashville, Tennessee, Ann Foust Bailey and Russell McLure Bailey of Roanoke, Virginia, and Julia Sollars Bailey and Linwood Reid Bailey of Charlottesville, Virginia; and her siblings Robert Franklin Reid of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Patricia Reid Rhea of Vinton, Virginia.

The funeral service will be held in Birmingham at 1:00 pm on Sunday, December 8, 2024, at Ridout’s Valley Chapel followed by her burial at Elmwood Cemetery. The family invites friends to visit with the family starting at noon. A memorial service will be held at 10:00 am in Roanoke on Saturday, December 14, 2024, at Brandon Oaks Nursing and Rehabilitation Center at 3837 Brandon Ave Southwest.

Memorials may be made online or via mail to the Music Program at Mary Baldwin University, Office of University Advancement, PO Box 1500, Staunton VA 24402 or the Levite Jewish Community Center, 3960 Montclair Road, Birmingham, AL 35213.

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Services are under the direction of Ridout's Valley Chapel (205.879.3401) in Homewood.