Obituary of Henry A. Bailey

Henry A Bailey (80) of Ashburn, VA passed away on December 23, 2019 at Ashby Ponds Senior Living Community. Henry was born May 16, 1939 on his family’s farm in rural Alabama. He was the son of the late Amos and Verna Bailey, and was preceded in death by his dear brother, Joe Bailey. Henry was a kind, loving and protective person who always put family and others before himself. His childhood on the farm instilled in him a strong work ethic and a desire to further his education. Henry graduated from the Auburn University Naval ROTC program with a commission in the United States Navy. After attending several Navy schools, he joined the Naval Nuclear Power Program and was stationed on the aircraft carrier Enterprise CVN 64. While Henry was stationed in Norfolk, he met Sally Pannill through a mutual friend. After a nine month courtship via Air Mail letters, they were married in December 1965. The following year, they moved to Yokosuka, Japan where Henry was assigned to another ship. After his time in the Navy, Henry graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a Master’s Degree in Nuclear Engineering. From there, he joined the Babcock and Wilcox Company in their nuclear division. He and Sally moved to Amherst County, VA where they raised their two children. In 1984, Henry joined the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission where he served in Regulation and Emergency Management. He received several awards including, a Meritorious Service Award for Excellence in Management. After his retirement in 2004, he and Sally enjoyed living in Regency at Dominion Valley in Haymarket, VA. In 2014, they moved to Ashby Ponds Senior Living Community in Ashburn, VA. Henry is survived by Sally Bailey, his wife of 54 years; his son, John P Bailey and his wife Bethany Bailey; his daughter, Sarah Collins and her husband, Mike Collins; and his adored grandsons, Gabe Collins, Henry Collins, and Alex Bailey. In addition, he is survived by his sisters; Barbara Guisler; Joyce Slough and her husband, Jim; Betty Durham and her husband, Joe; and his sister-in-law, Judy Bailey. Also, he is survived by many nieces and nephews who loved “their sweet Uncle Buddy”. A Celebration of Life Service for Henry will be held on Friday, January 10, 2020 at 1:30 pm at Farmwell Hall in the Ashby Ponds Community, Ashburn, VA. In lieu of flowers, Memorial donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org) or the Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma Research Foundation (www.accrf.org)