David Allen Bailey

David Allen Bailey, born May 24, 1947 to Henry Bailey and Ruth C. (Sills) Vogel in Clay City, Indiana was called home to join his parents on December 12, 2024.

Dave appreciated collecting baseball cards and coins from a young age. He enjoyed hunting, playing pool, and tossing horseshoes at different points throughout his life. An energetic young man, he was known to ride his bicycle throughout Indianapolis. Dave was also extremely athletic in his youth, playing football and basketball. He was a talented baseball player and in the mid 1960s, was a contender as a minor league player for the Indianapolis Indians. Has a young teenager, Dave learned to play a Hawaiian guitar so well he was featured on a local Indianapolis radio station. Fishing however took center stage for Dave when it came to his hobbies.

The greatest loves that Dave cherished most were his children and grandchildren, his fur babies, a good fishing spot, and a beautiful woman. Dave’s grandchildren loved their conversations with him and he cherished his great-grandchildren climbing onto his lap. Dave was a kind man with children and animals. He was a generous man and would give his last dollar away to those in need. He was blunt, but humorous.

Some of the greatest stories told about Dave include:

• A driving lesson for a teenage daughter that mistook the gas pedal for the brake and Dave yelling “Hit the brake! Hit the brake! It’s the one on the left!” Thankfully, the tree was avoided.
• The first fishing lesson for his six year old son and how Dave made it so special and memorable. Later in life, Dave also taught his grandsons to fish.
• The second fishing lesson when the sisters came along and fed the bait to the ducks… Dave had to explain to his daughters that the bait is for the fish-not the ducks!
• When Dave got ran down by a deer crossing the road while he was checking his mail: This put a whole new spin on the song “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer”, exchanging ‘Grandma’ for ‘Grandpa’ of course.
• Animals seemed to navigate towards Dave; even a coyote stocked Dave while he was cutting the grass.

Dave was a machinist with Permanent Magnet Motors in Indianapolis. Later in life he would also be employed at Hancock Memorial Hospital in Greenfield as a custodian and maintenance floor care technician. After retirement, he spent his time with his two daughters and his son and their families. Quietly settling into a new routine where the love and devotion of family enveloped him daily.

Dave is preceded in death by his parents and his brothers Hobart “Hobie” Lankford and Jerry Lankford. He is survived by his children, Shannon L (Kenny Boehm) Jarvis, Shawna L (Steve) Wilcoxon, and Christopher A Bailey; his grandchildren Cody A Bailey, Corey M (Nikki) Tucker, PO2 Caleb A Bailey, Skyler L Jarvis, Katlyn E Bailey, and Colin R (Emily) Tolliver; seven great-grandchildren and one great-grandchild due in April of 2025.

Dave’s family’s request is to remember Dave for the kind man he was in life. Dave will be truly missed by all.