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Reta Louise Bailey


Reta Louise Bailey passed away peacefully on September 12, 2015. She was born in Saskatoon, SK on June 10, 1930. In 1933, she moved with her parents, Frank and Mary Gasall, after the failure of Frank’s transfer company during “The Great Depression”, who loaded up their children and belongings in the 1925 Model T Car, he had won in a raffle, and took a homestead three miles from Kew Garden School, east of Lac Vert, SK. After finishing elementary school at Kew Garden, she moved back to Saskatoon on her own at an early age to continue with high school and graduated from Nutana Collegiate in 1950. She became a telephone operator and was moved to Tisdale SK, where she met her husband Thomas Clement (Bud) Bailey and was married in the fall of 1951. They settled on the family farm near Sylvania, SK., where they raised a family of five children. While working the mixed farm she raised poultry, hogs, beef and dairy cows with Bud for 46 years, she also worked with the Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Board for 14 years. She was a member of St. Matthews Anglican Church, The Order of the Eastern Star, President of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets Tisdale Squadron 624, the Sylvania Figure Skating and many other associations as was called for in the raising of her children. She always enjoyed growing a garden and having an abundance of food for her growing family. She and her husband Bud semi-retired to Ponoka, AB in 1992, to be close to most of their children and grandchildren there. She had a great life living there helping out with the grandchildren, going to school concerts, endless soccer and hockey games, making huge Sunday dinners for the family, going to garage sales and being a member of St. Mary’s Anglican Church. She and Bud took road trips often to visit other relatives in BC, Saskatchewan, Oregon, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ontario and also went to Hawaii and Australia to see Bud’s sister and family there. During Bud’s illness they moved to a condominium in Edmonton in 1999 to be closer to medical care. She was devastated when she lost him, her best friend of 48 years on Jan 19, 2000. It took her several years to recover all the time looking after the rest of the family, as she had time and energy for, and as her health would allow. In 2006 she decided that the fast pace of city life was too much, and returned to Ponoka so she could continue to drive, and have a garden in which she took great pride. She enjoyed travelling to BC to visit her daughters and family and her last long trip was to New Orleans with friends, Sandra, Arnold and Lorraine, from Ponoka. She was also predeceased earlier by three brothers Glen, Lorne, Roy and one sister Faye. She is survived by her five children: Beverly (and Russell Thacker) and sons James and Joshua; Louise (and David McKelvie); Clem (and Janet Smith) and five children Christopher and his children Joshua, Mia, Tristan, Tatianna, and Ethan, Shaun (and Carol) and children Jayden, Drea, Brooklyn and Brody, daughter Adrienne and her son Liam, step-sons Kory Lindsey (and Cory) and their sons Josh and Mason, and Brad Lindsey (and Ashley); Victor (and Brenda) and 3 children Jesse (and Julie) and sons Henry and Hudson, Kile and his daughter Shye, and step-daughter Lindsay; Tom and his two sons, Cole and Matthew; Reta’s sisters; Cecilia (and Richard Beingessner) of Regina, Sk. and Donna (and Terry Deacon) of Lebanon, Ore., and sister–in-law Hazel (Lorne) Gasall of Kelowna, BC. And many nieces and nephews and grand nieces and nephews in Canada, US and Australia. A Memorial Service will be held at the Ponoka Funeral Home on Saturday, September 26, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. with a graveside service in Tisdale, SK in the summer of 2016. The family wishes to express a sincere thank you to the staff of the Rimoka Golden Leisure Lodge and Ponoka Hospital and to all others who helped to care for our mother in recent years. Donations to either of the Lodge or the Hospital in lieu of flowers would be appreciated. To express condolences to Reta’s family, please visit www.womboldfuneralhomes.com.


Arrangements Entrusted To Ponoka Funeral Home

~ A Wombold Family Funeral Home ~