Carol Ena Bailey

Bailey, Carol Ena 12/16/1920 - 2/23/2023 Portage Carol Bailey arrived December 16, 1920, the second child of Asa Morton and Carrie Belle (Hinman) Lester in Malone, New York. Carol died at the age of 102 on February 23, 2023, at her home with her family. A Celebration of Life for Carol will be held at noon, on Saturday, June 3, 2023, at the Pathfinder Church, 2740 South Westnedge Avenue, Portage, MI. A time for family visitation will precede the service starting at 11:00 a.m. and will continue with a luncheon following the service. Carol graduated from Franklin Academy High School in Malone and followed with an associate degree from the State University of New York at Canton. She then completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Science, majoring in Home Economics, East Lansing, Michigan. She later received a Master of Arts degree in Teaching of Home Economics from Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI. Carol worked as a Dietitian at the Hospital for Joint Disease in New York City and again at Michigan State University while completing her undergraduate degree. After starting a family, Carol worked for 25 years as a Home Economics and Home and Family Living Teacher in the Kalamazoo Public Schools where she also served for a time as Department Head. On August 28, 1947, Carol married Richard B. Bailey of Decatur, Michigan in Malone, New York. They were married for 49 years and raised two children in the Kalamazoo and Portage areas. Carol was a resourceful and dedicated educator who loved her career and the students she taught. During her time as a teacher Carol focused significant energy helping students learn child development, parenting skills, and positive child rearing practices. Her classes covered subjects as diverse as sewing and budgeting to architectural and interior design. Her dedication to her field and fellow educators was evidenced by her later work with the Ladies Library and her 50 plus year membership in the MEA, NEA and Alpha Delta Kappa Sorority where she remained a highly respected and dearly loved sister until her passing. Carol was herself a life-long learner who read continuously and studied a wide range of personal interest topics throughout her long life. She played the piano and in her younger years enjoyed bowling, golf, and square dancing, as well as being an active supporter and leader in the 4-H organization. Carol was also an accomplished artist working primarily in pastels. Her portraits of individuals, especially women, were both statuesque and graceful. Carol took many trips in her life with both Richard and her second husband James Pellowe. She believed the experience of travel was not only an opportunity to see beauty in the world but a chance to meet all types of interesting people. It was having people in her life that Carol cared about the most. She was recognized for her volunteer efforts at the Attitudinal Healing Center, the Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes, the Presbyterian Free Health Clinic, Meals on Wheels, and the Heritage Community of Kalamazoo. Carol actively supported many causes and nonprofit organizations serving both people and wildlife. She gave generously of her time and her money throughout her life, including on an individual basis to people she knew were struggling. Carol also felt a special bond with the Pathfinder Church and the missions of the Methodist faith. She knew it as her spiritual guide and her religious home. Finally, and most importantly, Carol was devoted to her family and relatives, as well as her family of friends. Carol had a rainbow of people she was close to and cared about. Her friends came from all walks of life, were both young and old, were made up of different races and religions, and held a wide spectrum of beliefs. Carol looked for and found good in everyone. She could talk to anyone, enjoyed learning about people, and always tried to focus on making others feel special. Carol was particularly committed to her four grandsonsJosh, Ben, Jett, and Reez. She played an essential role in each of their upbringings and was deeply proud to be their grandmother. Carol was preceded in death by her parents, Asa Morton and Carrie Belle (Hinman) Lester, her brothers Jerry (Betty) and Robert Lester, her sister Mary Jean (Frank) Curtin, her husbands' Richard Bailey and James Pellowe, and son-in-law Mitchell Garvey. Carol is survived by her children Brent (Tammy) Bailey and Lynelle Garvey, her grandsons Josh (Maria) Garvey, Ben Garvey, Jett Bailey, and Reez Bailey, as well as many nieces, nephews and extended family members. Carol will be missed by everyone who knew her. She will be remembered with fondness and love by her family and many friends as a caring and generous woman who lived her life with grace and dignity.