Dale Henry Bailey
July 1, 1941 — January 25, 2015
Dale Henry was born on July 1st, 1941 in Cleveland, Ohio to Henry and Audrey Bailey. Soon came his sisters Mary Lou and Lynn and in 1952, the family moved to Long Beach. Dale attended R.A. Millikan H.S. graduating in 1959. He played water polo and loved to surf. He handcrafted his very first board from balsa wood and could be found surfing from Doheny to Trestles.
At 16, Dale began his career with Von's Co and in 1957, he laid eyes on the love of his life, Sandy. At 14, Sandy would stop at Von's for ice cream and he made sure he was behind that counter everyday. With Dale carrying her books for the rest of her walk home their life journey began.
Dale and Sandy were married on October 7, 1961. Their marriage brought them three beautiful girls, Julie, Cindy and Jodi. During the early years the family enjoyed trips to Louisiana, Montana, Yellowstone and Palm Springs. Dale also enjoyed fishing trips to Bishop with his girls, friends, family and the kids of Knoxville Av. Soon, those trips would include his son-in-laws and grandchildren.
As time progressed, his girls and their families made homes on Knoxville. A blessing for sure, he would have all 9 grandchildren close by. He often affectionally called them his "babies", he loved each one to the moon and back.
In 1999, Dale retired. Rarely did he miss a soccer or hockey game. As the grandkids grew, he often attended their high school track & wrestling meets, football, soccer and waterpolo games. He converted his garage into their "clubhouse", supplying the T.V., music, snacks and of course, the ice cream. Seldom was he in his garage recliner alone, each grandkid trying to claim their spot sitting with Pa. After nearly 50 years on Knoxville, Dale and Sandy moved to Cypress.
Dale and Sandy were blessed with 4 great-grandchildren. Now "Pop", he and Granny would return for Sunday dinners sitting around the pool, playing games and enjoying family. It's no secret, Dale was all about family.
On a beautiful Sunday evening, January 25, 2015, Dale passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving wife of 53 years Sandy, and loving family. Dale is preceded in death by his father Henry, mother Audrey, sister Lynn and brother-in-laws Michael O'Neil, David Stoughton and Robert Smith. He is survived by his wife Sandy, daughters Julie Belanger, Cindy Bailey and Jodi Quigley, his sons-in-law Matthew, Chris and Shaun along with his 9 grandchildren, Nicholas (Rachel), Danielle, Jonathan, Kaelyn, Madison(David), Alex, Paige, Nathan and Sydnie. He also leaves behind his 4 great-grandchildren, Audrina, Raegan, Wyatt and Cameron, and his loving sister Mary Lou.
Dale was a kind, loving soul. He will be remembered for the love he had for his family and life-long friends, his sense of humor and always having a joke to tell and a smile on his face. Self proclaimed, he was, "The Man, The Myth, The Legend".
A Celebration of Life will be held on June 28th at 1:00pm at the home of his sister, Mary Lou's Smith - 3515 Knoxville Ave., Long Beach, CA 90808 For more information, you may contact his daughter Julie at: (562) 421-9858 or email at derbaker5@gmail.com
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