James M. Bailey

Lancaster, NH - James Minty Bailey, 91, passed away of natural causes on Tuesday, August, 20, 2013 at Genesis Healthcare, Country Village in Lancaster. The youngest child of William Edgar and Mary Laing (Minty) Bailey, he was born on September 18, 1921 in the "old place," the farmhouse on Bishop Road in Lisbon, NH. Young Jim caddied at the Lisbon golf course and at the Sunset Hill House in Sugar Hill for 25 cents and 75 cents a round, respectively, plus tips. He graduated from Lisbon High in 1939 and was a member of the Lisbon Tigers golf, baseball and hockey teams. One Christmas, Jim had a choice of either snowshoes or skis from his father. He chose snowshoes and his brother, John, chose skis. After Jim found out what hard work snowshoeing was, he wished he had chosen skis instead. Yet, he still went on to become a fierce snowshoe competitor at Lisbon High. During the endless summer of '42, he was a fire lookout on Magalloway Mt. in Pittsburgh, NH. Jim was inducted into the US Army on November 23, 1942. He was honorably discharged on January 24, 1946 as an automatic rifleman 746 in the 78th Lightning Division, 310th Infantry Regiment having earned campaign participation credits for Rhineland, Ardennes and Central Europe. His was one of the first units to enter Germany and cross the Rhine over the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen in March 1945. He labored as a linesman for New England Telephone & Telegraph from March 1946 to September 1976 and had "not done a lick o' work since." He was a member of the VFW and a lifetime membership in the Telephone Pioneers of America was conferred upon him in 1976. He played a mean harmonica in his day and he occasionally serenaded the neighborhood with his bugle during the early morning hours. "Deep River" Jim shot the Colorado River rapids through the Grand Canyon in 1985 with his long time friends, the Connors. Jim earned the distinction of being a 10 gallon blood donor on Sept. 14, 1989 - "A-negative, all pure." He enjoyed the outdoors, gardening and traveling. One of his last trips was a Yangtze River cruise at the age of 80. Jim often said he was "in pretty good shape for the condition [he was] in" as he lived out his days on the Grange turn in Lancaster - his residence since September 1954. Many thanks are due to Andre & Kathy Dubois and Skip & Cindy Hood for making it possible for him to remain on the Grange turn for as long as he did and to Cheri LeClere and her mother, Carol Reed, who visited with him often, as well. He was predeceased by his devoted wife, Bernice Elinor (Cryan) Bailey, sister, Nancy E. (Bailey) Arrajj, and brother, John Martin Bailey. D.O.D., Dear Old Dad, Bubba, Grampa Jim is survived by: son, James A. Bailey of Lancaster; son, Christopher John Bailey and fiancée, Tina Sullivan, of Wells, ME; step-daughter, Carol A. Reed & companion, Nate Martin; step-son, Paul D. Hood & wife, Aurore, of Lancaster; grandsons, Christopher James Bailey of Portsmouth, NH, and Alexander Minty Bailey of Breckenridge, CO; niece, Mary Minty Arrajj, and her brothers, Michael, James and R. Joseph Arrajj; and many step-grandchildren & step-great grandchildren. A graveside ceremony for family and friends will be held on Saturday, September 7 at 1 PM in the Summer Street Cemetery in Lancaster. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jim's memory to the American Cancer Society and/or the American Heart Association.

James M. Bailey

September 18, 1921 - August 20, 2013