Roseanne Bailey

“Ornery”, “Funny” and “Tough”.  These were the adjectives the staff who had cared for her the past 43 months used most frequently when offering their condolences. And they were right.

Roseanne Strickling Bailey was born to Clyde and Mildred (Boyce) Strickling in West Union, WV, on December 26, 1926.  As a very young child she developed pneumonia and spent so much time in the hospital she forgot how to walk.  But she recovered and kept on going for nine decades.

Edward  E. “Bill” Bailey had returned to Carmichaels, PA, after service in World War II. They met and were subsequently married on January 25, 1946.  Horses were his main interest, so eventually all the family was involved in horse shows and rodeos. Roseanne showed parade horses, as well as pleasure classes, and together they later raised Welsh ponies. “Coffee Pot Farm” was eventually known internationally for the quality of their animals.

Early in their marriage she was a willing participant when her husband performed his “blacksnake whip” act.  She first would hold rolls of newspaper while he would cut the pages with the whip from her hand. The act ended with her holding an unlit cigarette between her lips while he used the whip to strike it from her mouth. He never missed, so they remained married until his death on October 25, 1983.

She liked to be busy - unless she found a good mystery. At home it was the animals and gardens that occupied her days.  She also worked in factories, starting with propeller manufacturing during WWII and ending with making molds for jets parts at TRW.

Both “Bill” and Roseanne were lifetime members of the Carroll County Historical Society and she served on the board of trustees.  She was active in the spinners and weavers group and demonstrated weaving for hundreds, if not thousands, of school children over the years. In 1994 she was honored by the society when it showed her at the loom on the annual Algonquin Mill Festival patch.

After her husband’s death she also became a volunteer at Union Hospital in New Philadelphia, having seen the need for a friendly face and a listening ear while he was a patient there. She later became a volunteer for the local hospice, primarily giving speeches to explain their mission and recruit more volunteers. 

Roseanne loved history and her last paid employment was as a guide at Zoar, where she enjoyed leading groups through the grounds and explaining the history and culture of the German Separatists.

Roseanne died on October 23, 2018, at Orrville Pointe. The family had gathered and were at her bedside all the previous day.  She was asleep and at peace when they left for the night. She slipped away quietly before they returned in the morning.

Left to remember her humor and love are children K. William (Vicki) Bailey of Wooster, Kathleen (Charles) Thompson of Sherrodsville, OH; grandchildren Mark (Jacob Press) Bailey of Brooklyn, NY; Joanna (Richard) Edwards of Wooster, and Bailey (Kelly) Lewton of Sherrodsville; nine great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.

As she requested, there will be no public services.

We wish to extend our sincere appreciation to the staff at Orrville Pointe for the wonderful care our mother and grandmother received while a resident and to the staff at LifeCare Hospice for their compassionate services   The Baxter-Gardner Funeral Home at Sherrodsville is handling arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to LifeCare Hospice, 1900 Akron Rd., Wooster OH  44691.  To leave an online condolence message, please visit the funeral home website at www.baxtergardner.com.

Baxter-Gardner
(740)-269-9225
baxtergardner.com

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