Bill was born on June 10, 1949 to Ruth Evelyn Kresser Bailey and George Wm. Bailey Jr. He was the second child and only boy in the family, sandwiched between sisters Judy and Evelyn. He died on December 26,2021 at his home in Millcreek, UT. His parents, his sisters Judy Parkinson and Evelyn Vincent preceded him in death as did a niece Carolyn Parkinson.

See 3 photos

Bill moved to his house in Millcreek at about age 4 and grew up in what was then called Canyon Rim. He was an active child and according to his neighbors of 68 years, Marge and Chauncey, he loved to hunt, fish and camp. Bill's father was the Scoutmaster and Bill was involved with scouting and tagged along with his father. In his teens Bill helped Marge with her Webelo's and organized a great camp out in the backyard.

Bill graduated from Skyline High School and attended University of Utah for two years, majoring in business. He also joined the Marines but was injured in basic training and received an honorable discharged due to the injury.

In the 1970's he met two people when he went to work as a sales rep for Fastener Engineering. Jim E and John H. They would become his friends for over 50 years. Oh, the tales they can tell of Bill and his escapades.

On July 5, 1977 he married Denise Snow (later divorced) and they moved to Sandy where he met neighbors Boyd and DeeAnn who also became great friends. Bill and even his parents would camp on the west fork of the Duchesne river with Boyd and DeeAnn and have great adventures. Some of the only photos that could be found of Bill were on a camping trip with Boyd and DeeAnn. Bill was picture averse and thus it was necessary to track down one of the only times he could not escape the photographer that being for a high school picture. The picture in this listing is from a Skyline High School yearbook!

A favorite memory of Bill is when he would say he had been out "just bumming" with Boyd and DeeAnn. They had great times together watching sports together and just hanging out, camping, fishing and hunting.

“There are friends, there is family and then there are friends that become family.”

Bill married Sherri Lynn Davis on March 20, 1991 (later divorced) and moved to California for work. He would keep in touch with his mother Ruth by faxing funny jokes and sayings to her almost every day. She shared these with her neighbors and always mentioned how she enjoyed hearing from Bill.

Bill moved back to Utah to help his mother as her health declined. He provided loving care to her in the last years of her life and was with her when she took her last breath. He was a devoted son.

Bill was a sports fan and always had his TV turned to basketball, football, baseball, "the wrassles" or any other sport. He loved the Utah Jazz and he and Ruth had season tickets to the Jazz for many years.

He also was lucky to have great fur children in his three black labrador dogs, Chance, Allie and Addie (his pandemic puppy). He was somewhat of a dog whisperer and his dogs did not bark! They would just look at other dogs barking and wonder what was wrong with them. Marge told me that Bill's Durango was in the shop when he got the call that Addie was available for adoption. Bill was so excited to get this new dog that he had Marge drive him down to get Addie. Addie was quite a handful and provided Bill with endless stories, she dug up his internet lines, sprinkler lines and chewed anything in sight. Addie also liked to stay out all night, summer, winter or fall. She dug a great hole in the backyard where she would lay and rule over her domain. Bill took Addie to doggie daycare at Brickyard Kennel to help settle her down and both Bill and Addie loved the staff there. Addie & Bill developed many friends at doggie day care and Bill sent pictures/video of Addie in daycare to his friends. The video of Addie in her Halloween costume is something to treasure. A special thanks to Brickyard Kennel for taking Addie in and helping her adjust to Bill's death.

All though not widely know, Bill was a great cook. His beef stew and spaghetti were legendary. Often times he would surprise friends with a home cooked meal or some other great treat like sausage rolls. Bill was a picky eater and often mentioned that "no green thing would cross his lips". Don't bother with a green bean casserole or green salad for Thanksgiving or Easter dinner he would say. Bill also loved a great loaf of raisin bread. He especially liked a special order cinnamon raisin bread from Mama Lake's Bakery in Morgan, Utah. His friends Curt and Kirsten would order this for him and deliver it for special occasions.

As his health declined, neighbors and friends helped him and provided "family support" Marge took him to medical appointments and tests, he joined others for holiday dinners and his regular dining out (often at Over the Counter Cafe) with David S. who was like a nephew to him were all welcome and appreciated. He had planned on meeting David S on the 26th for breakfast but sent him a text saying he wasn't feeling good.

He had a daily call with Jim E. where both of them would check in with each other. Brickyard Kennel kept Addie overnight when Bill had an unexpected overnight stay at the hospital. Thank you to all his friends and neighbors for your love and support over the years. A special thanks to his neighbor Lyna for calling 911 and getting assistance for Bill.

A Celebration of Life is planned for October 8, 2022 from 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. Please leave a message on this site if you need further information about the location.

Bill wished to be cremated and to have his cremains interred next to his mother Ruth at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park in Millcreek, UT. His cremation was handled by Utah Simple Cremations of Murray, UT.

Thanks to Lorraine W for the picture of Bill and to Marge for the second picture.