December 09, 1932 ~ January 04, 2020
Our sweet Czechoslovakian rose, Ella Bessie (Holman) Bailey, 87, went to Heaven on Saturday, January 4, 2020. She was the only child of James and Bessie (Benda) Holman, born December 9, 1932. Her parents were Czechoslovakian and settled in Yukon, where her father worked at the Yukon Flour Mill and her mother took care of their farm. Although she couldn’t speak English, she attended Yukon Schools, having to repeat first grade in order to learn English. She was so mad at her parents for not teaching her English, she swore she’d never speak Czech again. And she didn’t. She graduated from Yukon High School in 1951.
In her twenties, Ella worked at the Yukon Grill Café and later at the First National Bank in Yukon. At the café, she met and fell in love with a handsome jukebox repairman, Larry Ellison Bailey. They married on, of all days, Halloween, October 31, 1959. She enjoyed gardening, walking her dogs, crocheting, and sewing. She loved country life, traveling, and sitting on her porch swing with a cup of coffee enjoying the birds and flowers.
Ella is survived by her husband of 60 years, Larry Bailey of Norman; two daughters, Sherrie Koger of Oklahoma City, and Darleen Beard and her husband, David Riffle, of Norman; four grandchildren, Staci Rader of Oklahoma City, Michelle Rader of Oklahoma City, Spencer Beard of Brookville, Indiana, and Karalee Beard of Norman; six great-grandchildren, Chloe, Cheyanne, Renlee, Clayton, Jade, and Rhyan; and many other loved ones and friends.
Funeral service will be held at 10:00 AM, Wednesday, January 8th, at the Eisenhour Funeral Home Chapel in Blanchard. Arrangements are under the direction of Eisenhour Funeral Home of Blanchard. Online obituary and guestbook are available at www.eisenhourfh.com.