Donald Charles Bailey

October 18, 1928 - June 7, 2020

Donald Charles Bailey, 91, of Oskaloosa, died Sunday, June 7, 2020, at White Oak Estates in Oskaloosa. He was born Thursday, October 18, 1928, in Mahaska County, Iowa, the son of Clarence and Esther (Wilson) Bailey. He attended Country School in Mahaska County. On May 31, 1951, he was united in marriage to Shirley E. Grubb in Barnes City, Iowa. To this union, two children were born, Charles and Lauren. Donald served in the United States Army during the Korean War. Following his honorable discharge from the Army, Don returned to Mahaska County and farmed the family farm. He retired from farming in the mid 1990’s. He was a member of the Bethel Baptist Church. Don had many hobbies including fishing and hunting, biking and motorcycle riding, tinkering in his garage, camping and boating. He loved nature and enjoyed watching birds. His family includes his daughter: Lauren McMahan and her husband Jim of Delta; three grandchildren: Weslee (Kelsey) McMahan, Bradlee (Jill) McMahan and Autumn (Keith) Reisetter; five great grandchildren: Tripp McMahan, Hank McMahan, Maggie McMahan, Kinnick and Lincoln Reisetter; and a sister-in-law: Bonnie Bailey of Oskaloosa. Don was preceded in death by his wife: Shirley, a son: Charles Bailey, his parents and one brother: Kenneth Bailey. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. in the Bethel Baptist Church in Oskaloosa with Reverend Steve Cox officiating. According to the rules put in place by the Iowa Department of Public Health, proper social distancing and reasonable personal protective equipment is advised for attending a religious public event. The funeral will be live streamed at the funeral home’s YouTube Channel for those wishing to support the family from a distance. Burial will follow services at the Madison Township Cemetery near north of Oskaloosa. Open visitation with a rolling limit of 10 in the building at any given time will begin on Tuesday after 12 noon and continue until 7 p.m. in the Bates Funeral Chapel. Memorials may be made to World Gospel Mission and Bethel Baptist Church.