Alice Aileen Bailey

Alice Aileen Welsh Johnson Bailey passed through the veil to be with loved ones on April 12, 2024.

Alice was born May 26, 1931, in Ogallala Nebraska, the 4th child of Joseph Everett Welsh and Mary Julia Carpenter.   From the moment she was born Alice was pampered by the entire family  especially  her brothers and sister.  Just so you know my Mom would strongly object to this statement.

Early in her life at just barely 14yrs of age, she lost her father whom she idolized.  And since both brothers were away in the service, her mother was her anchor.  At that time they moved to New York to be with her maternal grandparents.  Since New York school system provided competency exams to obtain the necessary credits, Alice graduated when she was just 16.

Shortly after graduation, Alice and her mother returned to Ogallala and she soon married Bob Johnson.  Their union was one of love, laughter and heartache.  They lost four of the five children born to them in infancy.  Left with one daughter, Kathy. Bob and Alice adopted Rusty who was the light of everyone’s life. They divorced after 20 yeas of marriage.

On a visit to her cousin in Poteau Oklahoma, Alice saw a place in Cove, Arkansas for sale and true to form she  purchased it on impulse.  While working to bring the house up to living standards she required the services of a chiropractor.  And truly the rest is history! The courtship of Weldon “Doc” and Alice was a whirlwind and they were married just three days before they became grandparents.  She was married for 46 years to “Doc” until his death. Their relationship was an inspiring love story.

Alice loved to travel and on a trip to Ireland she quite literally fell in love with both the countryside and the people.  One family in particular, Maureen and Kerry, were embraced by both Doc and Alice as family.  They remained in the family circle for decades and will remain there beyond her passing.

While Alice’s primary focus was wife and mother, she had many careers in her life to include accounting, tax consultant and real estate agent.  At home, she was an excellent cook and loved to see the dinner table surrounded with friends and family.  She was a seamstress and a farm hand.  Just an all round handy person.  The only endeavor that she failed at was milking a cow.  Her only attempt resulted in the cow getting so bored that it simply laid down.

Alice was opinionated and outspoken a trait that served to both endear and alienate.  As a child, I did not understand that some things were only said in private so I repeated anything my mother might say.  Her response to that was “I think it and Kathy says it.”  Along those lines, the day before she passed I came to her room while she was sleeping and sat quietly until she awoke.  When leaving the room later I said that I had sat quietly with “my mouth shut” for over an hour which was hard for me to do.  My mother’s final words to me were “Things usually go better when you keep your mouth shut!”

She was preceded in death her husbands, Weldon “Doc” and Bob;  sons, Robert, Randy, Richard and Russell; and her daughter, Julia.  As well as her parents, Everett and Mary; brothers, Ernest and George; and sister, Marian.   The happy reunion in heaven will also be attended by numerous uncles, aunts, cousins and friends who gone on before .

Alice is survived by her loving daughter, Kathy; grandsons, Mark and Dean (Marcie); as well as six great-grandchildren, Joe, Russel(Aylia), Eric (Anitchka), Charles, Andrew and our lone great granddaughter beautiful, Katherine. She also had five great-great grandchildren and surely more to come.  Along with nieces, nephews and friends her family celebrate her life and mourn her passing.

Graveside services will be held in Malvern, Arkansas in September.