Edna Marjorie Bailey was born November 2, 1914, in Cherokee County OK to Vina Elizabeth Morgan Halpain and Phillip Sheridan Halpain. Edna was one of eight children. Edna married Chester Alex "Turk" Bailey on December 17, 1931, in Tahlequah OK. Turk was one of the first ironworkers in this area. He was killed in a construction accident on July 26, 1949, leaving Edna to raise their four children ages from 21 months old to 17 years old. After Turk's death, Edna worked hard to support their four children by starting a Registered Milking Shorthorn dairy. She also worked for years at Ozark Nurseries, Northeastern State College, a fiberglass company in Hulbert OK, and waitressed at Sequoyah State Park. She worked to make a living at any job she could find. While working these outside jobs she was still raising cattle, feed, and hay grains which she ground weekly with an old belt-driven mill to feed those dairy cows. Edna owned one of the first tractors in the area. During World War II, she used her tractor (old Gray) to raise crops on several neighbors farms while their men were off to war. Edna always had a large garden and strawberry patch. She would park her pickup full of strawberries at the gate by the road with a sign and a tin can for people to put their money in for their purchase. If it wasn't strawberries, it was pecans. She picked pecans up by the pickup load. She hauled flint rocks from Blackbird Hill to complete a big barn and the house. She learned to lay rock by helping with the house and barn. Then she went on to build the rock wall and complete the basement by herself. Starting on an old pedal Singer sewing machine, she became an accomplished seamstress, making her family's clothes. In later years she baled hay all over the county during the day and at night made dozens of beautiful quilts that we will treasure for years to come. Many a grandchild learned to drive out in her dusty hayfield, helping Granny haul hay. Both grandchildren and great-grandchildren loved to swim in her portion of Fourteen Mile Creek.

Preceding her in death were her parents; four brothers; one sister; son Rayburn Ira Bailey; grandson Rayburn Alex Bailey; and son-in-law Edwin Chief Cole.

Edna is survived by three children: Pearl Cole of Wagoner OK, Chester Bailey of Hulbert OK, and Joyce Luna and husband Vernie of Hulbert OK; and daughter-in-law Vicky Bailey. Her children furnished her with 11 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren and 9 great-great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister Margaret Hunton of Pryor OK and brother Phillip Halpain of Hulbert; 39 nieces and nephews, grand nieces and nephews; and a slew of other family members. She will be missed by many, many people.

Funeral services for Edna Bailey will be at 10:00 am Tuesday September 4, 2012 at the Hart Funeral Chapel with Bro. Charles Duvall and Bro. Calvin Cole officiating. Interment will follow in the Blue Springs Cemetery at Gideon under the care and considerate direction of Hart Funeral Home Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

Obit courtesy Hart Funeral Home