Mrs. Hatch (Yvonne) Bailey

Authored by Hatch Bailey

Yvonne's spirit is in the presence of God. Her body died peacefully at home due to complications of Melanoma (skin cancer) on June 5, 2007. Yvonne's `What a Wonderful World' outlook and determination to live life to the full was truly an inspiration to our family and friends. She knew her time on earth was limited, yet she remained strong and vibrant. I don't mind saying that I'm down right proud of Yvonne for her consistent high spirits, optimism, and fearlessness. She remained my bright ray of sunshine! She was immensely comforted by the unwavering assurance that God was ultimately in complete control of everything, and that He held her hand as she journeyed through the valley of the shadow of death.

Yvonne's body will lie in state at the funeral home until a couple of hours before the funeral. Should you go by, you shall find a register there for you to sign. There will be one at our family home (in Hidden Valley) and at the funeral as well. You are cordially invited to join our family as we congregate publicly, to mourn her death, celebrate her life, and worship God. We'll meet at 11:00 AM on Saturday, June 9, 2007 in The First Baptist Church of Waco Sanctuary located at 5th & Webster Ave. Interment will immediately follow in the beautiful historic Oakwood Cemetery where she will be buried next to her father. Then, you are welcome, with open arms, into our home for a brief time of warm fellowship. (Directions will be made available at the cemetery.) Knowing Yvonne, you'll not be surprised that children (no matter how young) are welcome to attend her funeral. If the dear little ones cry out a little during the service, we'll just smile! If they cry a lot, we'll appreciate your taking that as your cue to excuse yourself, and we'll know you were there by your signature in the Register.

Honorary Pallbearers (in alphabetical order) will be Larry Beeson of Highlands Ranch, CO, President of The Leaders Network, representing `the Greats' in Funeral Service – my chosen profession / Susan Key DeWitt of Waco, one of my best lifelong friends and one of Yvonne’s bridesmaids, representing all of our closest personal (years-long) friends / Patti Irons of Katy, TX, one of Yvonne’s best friends from Baylor – who’s been like a sister to Yvonne, representing all of our closest out of town friends / Steve Sellers of Houston, one of Yvonne’s close friends from Baylor, representing all of her friends from college / Harvey Spark of Waco, Yvonne’s employer and close friend, representing all those in the medical profession who have lovingly cared for her / Suzanne Starr of Waco, one of Yvonne’s closest friends from church, representing all of our closest personal (more recently made) friends / and Grant Teaff of Waco, our Sunday School teacher, representing all who answer the call to ministry and have ministered to Yvonne throughout her life.

Active Pallbearers (in alphabetical order) will be Billy Bailey, a student at The University of Alabama and son of my brother and sister-in-law, Roy and Tina / Boyd Bailey of Washington, D.C., son of my brother and sister-in-law, Wes and Rebecca / Bill Comstock of Oklahoma City, a great friend whose wife, Janie, is so much like a sister to me, when they married in Maui, I `gave her away' / Brad Crawford of Plano, a great supporter of mine whose wife, Alison, is a dear (years-long) friend of Yvonne’s / Trammell Kelly of Waco, one of my best lifelong friends / Bill Irons of Katy, TX, a great friend whose wife, Patti, was like a sister to Yvonne / Johnny Mankin, a great friend of Yvonne’s, a neighbor and her fishin buddy / and David Parrish of Southlake, TX, a great friend whose wife, Karen, is a close lifelong friend of Yvonne's.

‘Graveside Attendants’ will be our four sons who will lovingly receive their mother’s respectfully casketed remains, for burial. She requested their involvement, in that sacred place, and of course, the boys graciously agreed to honor her wish.

Officiants and musicians occupy sentimental places in our hearts. Unfortunately, time wouldn’t allow for them to be engaged for Yvonne’s funeral in time for their names to be included in this obituary. For this, I appologize.

Yvonne was born April 14, 1960 to Bernice and Bobby Mize in Amory, Mississippi and moved to Little Rock, Arkansas when she was five years old. She was their only child, and her parents provided beautifully for her. (I'm talking about the important things in life; the kind of things money can't buy.) Yvonne was baptized when she was eight years old and was a member of Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock. While in the seventh grade, she sold more magazine subscriptions than anyone else in the entire school. She graduated from Little Rock Central High School, a large historic public school, where she enjoyed being a cheerleader. She came to Waco in the fall of 1978 to enter Baylor University where she joined the Chi Omega Sorority, and we met on the very first day of school. We became fast friends, and ultimately best friends, even before we had our first `real' date. I credit my sister-in-law's father (Rebecca's father) with ‘planting the seed’. You see, Yvonne used to baby-sit for Wes and Rebecca's children, and that's how she met Rebecca's dad, Judge Boyd from Amarillo. Not knowing that Yvonne and I knew one another, he told me that he had just the girl for me. And he was right!

We were married in The First Baptist Church of Waco where our four sons are the fifth generation of my family to be members (starting with the Wilkirsons). The date was July 23, 1983. (We were married over half our lives!) She had just earned her Masters degree, with honors, in Speech Pathology and Audiology from Baylor University. She gave birth to our first son

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almost two years after we were married. It was evident that she was made to be a mommy. She was the best of the best. And poor thing; she was so ill during all four pregnancies, but she didn't care –she just loved popping out those babies! And we were so glad they were all four boys - you can't beat four of a kind!

Yvonne seemed to be at her best when around babies and young children. She was the first volunteer allowed in the nursery at Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center. She gave newborns their first bath. That may be when she first became interested in babies' nutrition. Perhaps she experienced the most joy as she nursed our sons for the first fourteen months of their lives. Friends began to ask for help as they nursed their babies, and then their friends began asking for help. Well, that evolved into a career. Yvonne studied hard, which she enjoyed, and became a Lactation Consultant. She was Internationally Board Certified and spoke at Pediatric conventions around the state. She was also an editor for Childbirth Graphics, a division of The WRS Group. Kudos to her and my good friend, Dr. Harvey Spark, with whom she opened The Breastfeeding Support Center in the Hillcrest Medical Tower as a branch of his booming pediatric practice. She also loved traveling to Guatemala with a team of volunteers from our church to minister to little ones in a very primitive orphanage. If Yvonne could speak to us today, she would surely encourage us not only to ‘stop and smell the roses’, but to stop and love a child – to invest our life in the life of a child. I'm proud to say my wife did just that!

To me, Yvonne was the cutest girl I had ever seen and turned into the most beautiful lady I know. As a young man, I thought I wanted a wife who was a cute fun chick who knew how to act like a lady. What I got was a gorgeous lady who was a cute fun chick! I got the best of both worlds! She was fun, intelligent, brave, passionate, compassionate, and Yvonne was talented. She was a great partner. And last, but not least, Yvonne was grounded in God's love. How incredible that she is with Him now, in His arms! I can't say she deserves that – not a one of us deserves to have it that good, but she is there nonetheless, by God’s grace and her faith – faith in that there is only one God, that Jesus Christ is the only son of God, and that Jesus Christ was her personal Savior. (That is my belief as well, so I may rest in the assurance that one day, Yvonne and I will be reunited, as one, in Heaven.)

Among those who will treasure memories of Yvonne are our four sons in whom she was most proud. Baxter (22) and Barrett (20) share an apartment in Austin where they are in school. Brennan (17) and Brooklin (13) are still `in the nest', which thrills me. And of course, I will treasure my memories of Yvonne. Her dad died of cancer in 1992. He was a wonderful man. Her mom, Mrs. Bobby (Bernice) Mize, is fighting her own battle with terminal cancer. (Should you want to send her a card, her address is 7 Rosemont Dr. in Little Rock, AR 72204, though she is an inpatient at Arkansas Hospice where her mail will be forwarded.) Yvonne is also survived by many aunts, uncles, and cousins – most of whom live in the good ole Deep South. My family of origin survives Yvonne as well. My parents are Bill and Roberta Bailey of Waco. My brothers and sisters-in-law are Roy and Tina Bailey of Dallas and Wes and Rebecca Bailey of Waco. Roy and Tina's adult children are Britain and Billy, and their teenager is Bridget. Wes and Rebecca's adult children are Boyd, Erin, and Kate. My, how Yvonne loved our nieces and nephews. And she had a very special relationship with our sisters-in-law. Also surviving are Bobbie Candler who’s as close as any sister could be, and Erin’s fiancée, Sam Simpson. And of course, I have to mention our two Golden Retrievers, Duchess and Lady! Yvonne, her parents, and all of my family blended so effortlessly and harmoniously. We had so much fun together so many times – what a blessing. Every family should be so lucky!

Fortunately, Yvonne loved to cook! One of her favorite times – when she would pull out all the stops – was Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas brunch. She built marvelous memories for the boys and me. And the children's birthday parties; she threw terrific birthday parties. She loved putting together Easter baskets for the boys, and all those kinds of things. She loved to knit, but her favorite hobby was reading while soaking in a bubble bath – her little Haven from a busy world. She was very well read and loved her fellow ‘Book Club Babes’. She enjoyed watching baseball and got a kick out of fishing! She loved the houseboat I surprised her with one Mother's Day, named `The Family Circus' and our ski boat, named `Summer Breeze'. She had intended on earning her pilot’s license – she loved flying! We loved Maui where we went on our Honeymoon. We returned several times, often with friends. We had fun in Chicago too, many times with friends. We shopped together and ate in all the best restaurants. And of course, there were those annual vacations in Jackson Hole, graciously hosted by my parents. I will really miss our travels. We had so much fun together - did I tell you she was my best friend – my Soul Mate!

Our community was good to/for Yvonne, and she was good to/for our community, having given back in various ways. For example, she was an active member of The Junior League of Waco

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for fifteen years. I feel she is to be commended for having unselfishly served to better our community, but she never sought recognition, and so I really don't feel it's appropriate for me to brag about her many accomplishments and honors. (She would not want me to do that.) Instead she would surely rather have me point out, in no uncertain terms, that it was the pure pleasure she enjoyed from rearing our four sons that made her life fulfilling.

Baxter, Barrett, Brennan, and Brooklin truly were her pride and joy, period. She would have walked through fire for those boys! In fact, in a way, she did – the way she fought the symptoms of cancer for quality time with our sons. The excellent example she set for them will help them to survive and thrive as they mature and follow God's will for their individual lives. Yvonne felt so secure in her role as `Mom' to our four sons, she never hesitated to give them a dose of `tough love' when she felt that was in order. (Fortunately, we haven't had much of that!) She and I were paid the ultimate compliment recently by one of our older sons. He had been away at school, living in the dorm for about a year and a half. He said that he and his brother, who was living in the same dorm, were talking one night, and they realized that they were the only ones in the entire dormitory who were brought up right. That surely isn’t so, but what more could a parent ever hope to hear! She tried to make it very clear to all four boys that they have her blessing – what more could she have given! (Our sons have my blessing too.)

Yvonne appreciated local charities focused on children’s spirituality, safety, health, and education. And I have to admit; she loved flowers too. My sons and I would appreciate your taking the time to send us a note, remembering Yvonne, which is something tangible we may keep forever. For your convenience, you are welcome to sign the memorial guestbook and leave a (public) original message by going to www.WilkirsonHatchBailey.com and clicking on`Obituaries', or better yet, an old fashioned hand written note would mean the world to us. Our mailing address is 2021 Rockbridge Rd. (in) McGregor, TX 76657.

I deeply appreciate our WHB family for their wonderful service. And last, but not least, how can I publicly say thanks to my family – for once, I'm at a loss for words! Thank you from the bottom of my heart, for everything – I simply could not have come this far without you.

I do have a couple of prayer requests. First, that Yvonne’s mom, Yvonne’s and my sons, and I may experience God’s comfort. And secondly, that we may experience healthy grief, which (along with God’s grace) will – in time – lead to the restoration of our souls.