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Marie Ann Bailey
November 03, 2018

Obituary

CHICOPEE ~ Marie Ann Bailey, 76, of Chicopee and a former longtime Theology Teacher at the former Cathedral High School in Springfield, was Called Safely Home on Saturday, November 3, 2018. She was born in Ludlow on January 17, 1942, a daughter of the late Raymond A. and Margaret E. (Robinson) Bailey. She attended local catholic schools and graduated from Cathedral High School in 1959. She was an active member of the Girl Scouts of America and the Catholic Daughters of America. She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and Education from the College of Our Lady of the Elms in Chicopee and a Master of Arts Degree in Religious Studies and Theology from Assumption College in Worcester. She taught elementary school for nine years throughout the Hampden, Berkshire and Worcester Counties as well as Providence, Rhode Island. During that time, she was very active and responsible for organizing Ecumenical Church Discussion Groups and Programs in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s both in North Adams and Gardner, Massachusetts. She assumed the position of Director of Religious Education at Saint Mary’s Parish, North Grafton in the 1970’s and held the same title at Saint Brigid’s Parish in Millbury, Massachusetts. In 1974, she joined the staff of W. C. Brown Publishing Company of Dubuque, Iowa as their regional sales consultant and maintained their Cleveland, Ohio office that served 13 Mid-Atlantic States. She was asked to join the sales consultant team for Grolier Educational Services in Cleveland, Ohio and served the schools there for a year before returning to the classroom. Marie taught junior high school at Saint Anthony of Padua in Parma, Ohio before returning to the Northeast and the Springfield area. Upon her return to New England in 1979, she assumed her teaching career in the Theology Department at Cathedral High School. Through her work in the field of “Religions of the World”, she dedicated her efforts to bring young people to the awareness of the needs of the less fortunate children of Haiti, Tanzania, Africa and Andhra Pradesh, South India. She humbly served the Catholic Church as Eucharistic Minister and Lector of the Scriptures at Saint Michael’s Cathedral in Springfield for several years. In 1982, Marie was appointed the first laywoman to hold the position of Spiritual Director for Teen Encounter for the Diocese of Springfield. Holding the position for four years, she helped to train and guide young people in retreat work for high school students throughout the greater Springfield area. From 1986 to 1996, she worked to aid in the building and upkeep of a small home for poor boys (Saint John’s School) in a small village in Emani, Andhra Pradesh, South India. In 2001 after teaching world religions at Cathedral High School for 21 years, she returned to elementary education as a reading instructor for the Holyoke Schools. She proudly spent her last days as a substitute teacher for the Agawam, Chicopee and South Hadley Schools until her retirement in January of 2004. Marie is survived by her brothers, Michael J. Bailey and James L. Bailey, their wives, Karen and Tina and several nephews, Matthew, Nichols, Weslee, James and Timmy, all of the Springfield area. At her request, there are no visiting hours at the St. Pierre – Phaneuf Aldenville Chapels, (413-532-9806), 13 Dale Street, Chicopee, MA 01020. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday morning, November 14, 2018 at 10 a.m. at Saint Michael’s Cathedral, 254 State Street, Springfield, MA 01103. Her burial will follow the Mass in the family lot at Saint Michael Cemetery, 1601 State Street, Springfield, MA 01109. Memorial donations may be made to the Children of Haiti Fund, c/o Rev. Warren J. Savage, 8 Pleasant Street, Westfield, MA 01085. For more details, please visit: www.stpierrephaneuf.com

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St. Pierre-Phaneuf Aldenville Chapels
13 Dale Street
Chicopee, MA 01020
413-532-9806