Obituary of Roy H. Bailey

Roy Hardeman Bailey of Bengough, SK, passed away peacefully on December 13, 2018 at the age of 89. Roy was born on December 16, 1928, at Radville, SK, to John Carlos "J.C.” and Myrtle (nee Buckallew) Bailey. He was the fourth of ten children and a twin to Ray. Roy learned at a young age that hard work would be his ticket to success in life. By the age of 18, Roy was already a seasoned worker; he had herded sheep in Montana, worked in a lumber camp in Ontario, and worked on threshing crews in the Harptree and Kisbey areas. Roy worked through high school and graduated in 1948. After graduation, Roy pursued his dream of becoming a teacher and attended Normal School in Moose Jaw that fall. It was here that Roy met the love of his life, Helen Anderson. Roy and Helen taught in their first schools in the fall of 1949 and were married on August 18, 1950. After the wedding, they left for Aiyansh in northern BC where they had accepted teaching positions. With their first child on the way, they returned to the Harptree area and resided at the Jim Lidbury farm. In August of 1951, their son, Lyall, was born. Roy and Helen were devastated when Lyall passed away three short months later. Susan was born in 1953 and Janet in 1954. The family moved to Bengough in 1955 when Roy accepted a teaching position there. A year later, they were back to teach at Harptree School with Helen helping with the younger grades giving Roy more time to spend with the older students. Roy was also farming at this time and keeping pace with an extensive refereeing circuit. In 1961, the family moved three miles north of Bengough where Roy planted trees on two yard sites – a monumental task during those dry years. Roy became vice-principal of Bengough School, and after spending a year in Saskatoon completing his Bachelor of Education degree, he became the principal of Bengough School. In 1971, Roy and Helen moved to Elrose, SK where Roy accepted the position of Director of Education in the then Eston-Elrose School Division. After eleven years in Elrose, Roy and Helen returned to Bengough where he was employed as director of Borderland School Division and later served on the executive of the Saskatchewan School Trustee Association. Roy had always been passionate about politics having his name on the ballot for the Social Credit party in the 1960s and then again in 1973 when he became the MLA for the Rosetown-Elrose constituency. Roy unsuccessfully ran for the leadership of the provincial Conservative party in 1973, but his greatest political accomplishment was to represent the people of the Souris-Moose Mountain constituency in Ottawa as their Member of Parliament first for the Reform Party and then the Alliance. Roy served two terms and chose to retire in 2005 after 55 years in public life. Roy and Helen moved to Thomson Lake where a house was built and a beautiful yard was developed. Friends and family were always welcome in their home. In 2013, Roy and Helen moved to Moose Jaw to reside at the Bentley Retirement Home and later West Park Crossing as they required more care. The family appreciates all the staff who took such good care of Roy and Helen during this time. On November 30, 2016 , Helen passed away leaving Roy to struggle through the last two years of his life without his wife of 66 years. Roy came home to Bengough for the final chapter of his well-lived life. Again, the family is grateful for the loving care he received at the Bengough Health Centre. Roy’s work ethic was second to none, he was generous in time of need, and his accomplishments made a difference to the people who knew and loved him. Roy’s faith and Christian values guided every aspect of his life. Roy loved kids. He especially delighted in his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren. Roy is survived by his loving family, daughter Susan (Blair) Roberts, grandson Kris (Tasha) Roberts, great grandchildren Annika, Amery, Lenaya, Karlyn, grandson Karl (Helen) Roberts, great grandchildren Avyn, Evan, Stella, Kameron, grandson Jeffry (Tara) Roberts, great grandchildren Louis, William, granddaughter Lia (Rey) Baffour-Awuah, great grandchildren Josia, Charlotte, Eli, granddaughter Lori (Alex) Dieterle, great grandchildren Luca, Hugo; daughter Janet Tetreau, grandson Brad (Kyla) Tetreau, granddaughter Janna (Dean) Mushie, great grandchildren Cayman, Morgan, Hayden, Karsyn, grandson Bryn (Maggi) Tetreau; sisters Marie Nixon, Mavis Stonefield, Carol Berger, Debbie (Bill) Van der Meer, Margo (Don) Maxwell; brother John (Rosalyn) Bailey; sisters-in-law Bev Bailey and Ruth Bailey. Predeceased by his wife Helen Bailey (November 30, 2016); son Lyall Bailey (November 20, 1951); son-in-law Laverne Tetreau (March 28, 2017); grandson Kori Roberts (August 17, 1979); parents J.C. and Myrtle Bailey; brothers Norman (Evelyn) Bailey, Stan Bailey, Ray Bailey; and brothers-in-law Les Nixon and Kohzoh Stonefield. A celebration of Roy’s life was held on Wednesday, December 19, 1:00 p.m. at the Bengough Community Centre, Bengough, SK with Wendell Bailey officiating. The opening prayer was given by Garth Oberkirsch. Lowell Peterson led the singing. Readers were Don Maxwell and Winston Bailey. Roy’s eulogy was shared by Bryn Tetreau. Tributes were given by Lia Baffour-Awuah, Lori Dieterle, Mina Patel, Margo Maxwell, and Barry Kemp. The closing prayer was led by Blair Roberts. Janet Tetreau was the urn bearer. Honorary pallbearers were Roy’s grandchildren, great grandchildren, and all those whose childhood, past and present, was blessed by Roy H. Bailey. Interment took place at Harptree Clearview Cemetery. Memorial donations in memory of Roy to the Bengough Twilight Home Auxiliary, Box 437, Bengough, SK S0C 0K0, were greatly appreciated. The family of the late Roy H. Bailey would like to express our thanks to the staff of the Bengough Health Centre for the loving care given to Roy for the past three months. Thank you to the workers who provided the lunch following the service and for the numerous acts of kindness shown to the family at this time. The professional service provided by Piche-Hawkins-Grondin Funeral Home was greatly appreciated.