Joan Rose Bailey

Joan Rose Bailey (nee Bahaley) of Cape Vincent, New York passed from this earth into the presence of her Lord and Saviour on Wednesday, December 18, 2024. She was 88.

Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania on Friday, September 4, 1936, she was a daughter of John and Mary Veronica (nee Bieryla) Bahaley.

Joan graduated from Avoca High School in 1954, where she was the captain of the school’s cheerleading squad. She worked as a seamstress at a local dress factory during her high school years and after her graduation.

Possessed of an outgoing and vivacious personality that lasted throughout her adult years, Joan enjoyed being part of local musical and acting productions with her sisters. She was also enthusiastic about Powder Puff car racing in her teen and early adult years, with her near-perfect finishes earning her the nickname “Second-Place Joanie.”

In 1956, she married Michael Chopak of Scranton, Pennsylvania in St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Avoca, Pennsylvania. They lived in Avoca for a few years, then moved to Austinville, Pennsylvania.

In 1966, Joan married Robert Leon Bailey in Elmira, New York. Shortly before this, she found the Lord Jesus Christ as her Saviour.

The family moved to Rochester, New York in 1967. There, Joan worked at Cassata’s Bakery for a short time.

Joan followed the Lord in Believer’s Baptism, along with her daughter Merilu, on December 3, 1967, at First Bible Baptist Church in Greece, New York, where she became a member of the church.
The couple found a passion which dominated their lives for many years – that of helping wayward teenagers. The Bailey family was certified as a non-secure foster home through the Monroe County Family Court’s Division for Youth, and took in over 300 troubled teens over a period of several years. The Baileys insisted the whole family attend services at First Bible Baptist Church, and many of the teens turned their lives around as a result of finding Christ as Saviour. Many of them stayed in contact with the couple for years after leaving the Baileys’ home.

Joan and her husband moved to Cape Vincent after spending many summers there. She loved to read and sew. Visitors were always invited to visit Joan’s gardens, which she loved. During earlier summers, visitors were presented with a bowl of beans to snap, helping to harvest the nearly one acre of vegetable gardens that the couple maintained. She was an avid canner, often putting up hundreds of jars of tomatoes and beans each year, as well as bushels of potatoes and other crops.

They often spent portions of winter months with their daughter Karen’s family in Louisiana, and took trips with them to places like Jamaica. They were also frequent visitors to their daughter Debbie’s mini-farm in Lyons, New York, where Joan enjoyed the numerous animals Debbie rescued.

Following a fire that destroyed their Cape Vincent home, the couple moved to their daughter Merilu’s home in Holland, New York. They were members of Hunters Creek Bible Baptist Church, where their son-in-law was pastor. Joan often helped during church dinners, and enjoyed the church’s social activities. She also enjoyed shopping, and when asked when she would be home, she replied, “When the stores close!”

Joan found another passion in Angel Gowns of Western New York. She dismantled hundreds of donated wedding gowns, to be remade into burial outfits for babies that never made it home from the hospital.

Joan’s husband Robert died in September, 2010. After a few years, Joan decided to return to the property in Cape Vincent, where she lived until joined by her son, David, who became her caretaker until her death. Joan could be found every morning at the kitchen table, reading her Bible. She often called son-in-law Rev. William O’Dell with questions regarding the Bible.

In addition to her husband, Joan was preceded in death by a brother, John Bahaley; two sisters, Helen Turek and Rose Conrad; three pre-born sons; two step-daughters, Carla Moss and Lillie Bailey; and a granddaughter-in-law, Sarah Roegner O’Dell.

Joan is survived by three daughters, Merilu (Rev. William J. Jr.) O’Dell of Madisonville, Tennessee; Deborah (Gerald) Kitto of Lyons, New York, and Karen (Marty Sr.) Hubbard of Lakewood Ranch, Florida; a son, David Bailey of Cape Vincent; two step-daughters, Katherine Chaapel of Towanda, Pennsylvania and Dawn Lewis of Columbia Crossroads, Pennsylvania; nine grandchildren, Aaron (Debra) O’Dell of Freeport, Pennsylvania, Bradley (Jaime) O’Dell of Levittown, Pennsylvania, Emily (Todd) Doring of Cheektowaga, New York, Tandi (Phil) Sherman of Ontario, New York, Heath Kitto of Williamson, New York, Jessica (Jason) Battaglia of Lakewood Ranch, Florida, Marty (Stephanie) Hubbard of Slidell, Louisiana, Reverend Matthew (Nickole) Bailey of Holland, New York and April (Ti) Jock of Irondequoit, New York; many great-grandchildren; one great-great grandson; and many nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2717 Humphrey Road in Cape Vincent, New York on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at noon.
Rev. Matthew Bailey of Hunters Creek Bible Baptist Church in Holland will officiate.

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