Ida Lee Bailey

Ida Lee Bailey was born on January 8, 1929 in Shreveport, Louisiana. In 1945, Ida moved to Washington, DC and began to start her life. In 1947 she began to work at Naval Medical Hospital Center, where she met William Bailey, Jr. and the two wasted no time getting married. The two lovebirds enjoyed married life before starting a family of their own. Once they decided to start a family, again no time was wasted. They welcomed their first daughter, Joyce to the world in 1954 and exactly one year later their second daughter, Barbara was born completing their loving family.

In 1969 William passed away and Ida began working harder to raise her two daughters on her own. She is remembered as a stern mother who didn’t play about education and always wanted her house clean. In working long hours at work, she taught her girls the importance of learning how to cook, especially by her being a master in the kitchen, they learned from the best. Her mac & cheese, candied yams and salmon cakes will be surely missed for years to come.

Ida enjoyed bowling, in fact she loved it so much she became a member of a championship bowling league. Scrabble was her favorite board game, after studying the scrabble dictionary every night she frequently summoned her family and friends to night long scrabble games until she mastered a win. Ida was a member of two social clubs that often traveled together and had a host of parties and social gatherings where she’d dance the night away. She will always be remembered as a hard worker that loved, supported and assisted her family through every type of need.

Ida, transitioned peacefully on June 30, 2020, and leaves to cherish her memory, two daughters, Joyce (Larry) and Barbara (Chip), eight grand children, William Bailey (Tamekia), Aaron Carter (Kara), Erika Smith, Maurice Bailey, Chavonne White, Chysa White (Ronald), Gerald Bailey and Christopher Bailey; 14 great grandchildren and a host of great-great grandchildren, family and friends.

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