Helen Hurst Bailey

Bluefield, WV- Helen Hurst Bailey, a lifelong resident of Mercer County, passed away on Monday, November 2, 2015. One of five children born to Lillie and Rex Hurst, she grew up in a tight-knit family in the caring community of McComas where everyone looked out for everyone else. Mrs. Bailey graduated from McComas High School and attended Concord College, majoring in elementary education. She had a soft spot in her heart for young children and it was a natural fit. While at Concord, she joined Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority. On March 7, 1947, she married the true love of her life, Roy Bailey. They enjoyed playing golf at the old Bluefield Country Club, traveling around the United States, and completing home projects together. Both were active members and enthusiastic volunteers at Trinity United Methodist Church for sixty years. Mrs. Bailey worked as both a full-time and substitute teacher for Mercer County Schools and, by all accounts, she was a favorite of both students and teachers. Her kindness and desire to help others was a gift, and she touched many lives through her teaching. Mrs. Bailey could and would talk to a perfect stranger and make a friend in a matter of minutes. She even took extra snacks on her flights to visit family in Denver so she could share with her seat mates. Her warm heart, loyalty, and pleasant personality won her enduring friendships from people of all ages and backgrounds. In addition to her parents and her husband, she was preceded in death by her brothers Peyton, Ken, and Bill. She is survived by many loving friends and relatives including her daughter Barbara and son-in-law Larry Marquess; her grandson Alex, his wife Sara, and their daughter Abby; her grandson Wade and his wife Claire, all of Colorado. She is also survived by her sister Dorothy and brother-in-law Jim Boult of Abingdon, Virginia, and sisters-in-law Carol Hurst and JoAnn Hurst as well as her nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be conducted on Saturday, November 7, 2015, at 2:00 p.m. at the Mercer Funeral Home Chapel with Dr. Don Scott officiating. The family will receive friends from 1:00 p.m. until the service hour. Burial will follow at Roselawn Memorial Gardens in Princeton where family members and friends will serve as pallbearers. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to Trinity United Methodist Church, 401 College Avenue, Bluefield, WV 24701 or to the American Heart Association, Great Rivers Affiliate, P.O. Box 15120, Chicago, IL 60693. Those wishing to share memories or condolence messages with the family may do so by visiting www.MercerFuneralHome.com . Mercer Funeral Home & Crematory is serving the family of Mrs. Helen Hurst Bailey.

Helen Hurst Bailey

September 21, 1922 - November 2, 2015