Marguerite Sloan (Dolly) Bailey, 95, of Newport, Rhode Island, passed away on May 18, 2023 in Gardner, Massachusetts.
Dolly was born in Providence, Rhode Island, to James and Marguerite Sloan on March 21, 1928. She attended high school at Elmhurst Academy, Convent of the Sacred Heart, and graduated in 1947. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts from Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart (1951), where she was a member of the Children of Mary Sodality, an avid field hockey player, and a frequent visitor to a certain West Point cadet. She spent many years raising her ten children and later worked as a realtor (GRI) in Bristol, RI. As an Army wife she navigated frequent domestic and overseas moves, but still participated in volunteer activities, including as a Red Cross Volunteer (Grey Lady). In Newport, her community activities included 15 years as a hospice volunteer and serving as a lay Eucharistic Minister at St. Mary’s Church, while also supporting the Redwood Library, Preservation Society, and the Newport Art Museum.
Dolly is survived by her ten children in eight states (LTC (ret) Bart Bailey, James Bailey, Dr. Michael Bailey, Merri Dobler, Marguerite Hess, Melody Phelps, Heidi Bailey, Joy Rozanski, Barry Bailey, and Sloan Bailey, Esq.), plus 19 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren. She is preceded in death by her husband, Col. Bruce Bailey, her parents, and her brother, James Sloan.
Visiting hours will be held at O’Neill-Hayes Funeral Home, 465 Spring Street, Newport, RI, on Friday, June 2, from 4-7 pm.
A Mass of Christian burial will be held at St. Mary’s Church, corner of Spring Street & Memorial Boulevard, Newport, RI, on Saturday, June 3 at 10 am. Burial will follow at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 550 Wampanoag Trail, East Providence, RI.
A reception will be held at the Wyndham Newport Hotel (Sunset Room), 240 Aquidneck Ave, Middletown, RI on Saturday, June 3, from 4-7 pm.
Memorial donations may be made to Alzheimer’s Association,225 N. Michigan Ave. Floor 17, Chicago, IL 60601. www.alz.org.
