Alberta Carolyn (Franklin) Bailey

Baker City, 1931-2021

Alberta Carolyn (Franklin) Bailey, 90, of Baker City, Oregon, went to be with her Lord and Savior at 8:20 a.m. Saturday, Aug 7, 2021. Her passing was very peaceful, with her beloved husband by her side.

A visitation will be held on Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021, from noon to 4 p.m. at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel. A funeral service will be held on Friday, Aug. 13, 2021, beginning at 1 p.m. at the Baker City Church of the Nazarene, with Pastor Ron Kratzer and Pastor Troy Teeter officiating the service.

Following the service, a reception will be held at the Baker City Church of the Nazarene Fellowship Hall.

She was born June 20, 1931, in Eloy, AZ, to Albert Edward and Ella Mae (Stockard) Franklin. She was the youngest of eight children.

Her family moved to Baker in early 1932 and left again in 1934, moving to California so her father could find work. She lived in a migrant labor camp for a time.

Later, after returning to Oregon, she lived in Bates, living mostly in a tent and in logging camps. She returned to Baker in 1936 or 1937. She attended Baker Schools and graduated from Baker High School in 1949.

Shortly thereafter, she went to work for Pioneer Federal Savings and Loans as a teller. She eventually became a corporate secretary and retired in 1982 as assistant to the president. The bank had assets of under $1,000,000 when she started. They had grown to over $100,000,000 by the time she retired.

She met the love of her life, Joe Bailey, at a party and knew from the moment she set eyes on him that he was the one for her and that she would marry him. They were married July 26, 1953.

At the time of her death, they had been married for just over 68 years. They had two boys, Kent and Anthony, whom she loved dearly.

After retiring from the bank, she worked a year and a half for her son, Anthony, under the terms she could leave when she wanted.

When she left, she and Joe traveled to Europe, China, Central America for Work and Witness missionary work through the Panama Canal and to various places in the U.S.

She also took time every Thursday to watch her grandkids and to bake chocolate chip cookies with them. Their favorite dinner with Grandma was her spaghetti. For many years, we had family dinner on Sunday after church.

Christmas was always a very special time for her with family. Every year she read the Christmas story as part of our celebration.

Family meant everything to Alberta, and she felt blessed to have her children and grandchildren living where she could see them whenever she wanted. She rarely missed a sports event or any other event her children or grandchildren participated in. Often her voice of encouragement could be heard above the roar of the crowd and the voice of the coach.

She was especially blessed by her husband, Joe, who has provided her with the best care anyone could give during the past two years. No, really, for their entire lifetime together.

She is survived by her husband, Joe, her sons, Kent (Monica) and Anthony (Katherine), her grandchildren, Aaron (Melissa), Josh (Hannah), Lessa (Addam), Mallory (Dana), Amanda (Ritter), and her great-grandchildren, Ian, Ashleigh, Zim, Lucia, and Emil. The only child she didn’t get in her lifetime was a redheaded granddaughter.

She was preceded in death by her parents and all her siblings.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Rachael Pregnancy Center through Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel at 1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City, OR 97814.

To leave an online condolence for the family of Alberta, please visit: www.grayswestco.com.