Bailey, James M. (1937-2014)
BAILEY, BURG, WYHS, PRAY, BURGUS, DREW
Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 12/30/2014 at 18:45:58
James M. Bailey
July 12, 1937 - December 2, 2014Alta, Iowa
James M. Bailey, age 77, of Alta, passed away on Tuesday, December 2, 2014, at the Buena Vista Regional Medical Center of Alta.
James M. Bailey was born on July 12, 1937, in New Hampton, Iowa, to Martin and Amy Bailey. He spent part of his childhood in Spencer before moving to Des Moines where he graduated from Dowling High School. As a teenager, he had a television appliance repair business. Later in life, he owned and operated a private detective business for three decades.
James married Theresa Burg in 1958. They were blessed with two children, MaryAlice and Patrick Sean. A very patriotic person, he served in the Air Force for four years. While stationed in Colorado and North Dakota, he worked with Titan and Minute Man missiles. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, he went through a lockdown.
An avid reader, he had a high aptitude for computers as well as all other electronic devices. In the 1970s, he worked for both IBM and for Hewlett Packard. Afterwards, he opened his private detective company. When not working, he enjoyed watching classic movies, growing his own tomatoes, and traveling. Over the years, he visited forty-eight states and took a cruise to Alaska. One detective case even took him to Brazil.
In 1983, he married Jana Wyhs in Denver, Colorado. They moved to Iowa in 2005 and settled in Alta, a peaceful place to retire after the hectic life in a metropolitan city. He discovered the fun of going to auctions where he made many friends.
James was preceded in death by his parents; his only son, Patrick, who died October 4, 2014, (James will be laid to rest beside him); an infant brother, Paul; his sisters, Mary and Alice Bailey; and his brothers-in-law, Leon Pray and Robert Burgus.
He is survived by his wife, Jana; his daughter, MaryAlice Drew, and her mother, Theresa Bailey; his grandchildren, Michael, Matthew, and Faith Drew; his great-grandson, Nyke Drew; and his sisters, Rose Burgus and Frances Pray.
A funeral mass will be offered on Saturday, December 6, 2014, at 10:30 AM at St. Mary’s Catholic Church of Storm Lake with the Fr. J. David Esquiliano officiating. Military rites will be conducted by the Alta VFW Post #6172 at the church immediately following the funeral mass. Burial will take place at the Riverside Cemetery of Spencer. A visitation will be held one hour prior to services at the church.
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