Ralph R. Bailey

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Ralph Reginald Bailey, affectionately called Marcy, was born on December 12, 1930, in Linstead, St. Catherine Jamaica, West Indies, to Jasper Nathanial and Alberta Grant Bailey.  He was the youngest of 11 children.  At an early age, he learned strong Christian beliefs from both of his parents.

At the age of 13, he left his parents home and moved to Kingston, Jamaica and started a life of his own. At an early age, he enjoyed dancing such dances as the  Bee Bop and would travel from place to place with his friends to dance. He worked as a live-in handy man, and from there he worked at the Railroad Corporation. It was during that time that he met Novelette Joyce Wedderburn.  They were joined in marriage and to the union were born 2 daughters, Jacqueline and Sherel.  He also gained a stepson, Winston.  After that, he got a job at the National Water Commission.  In 1966 at the age of 34, he came to the United States of America to make a better life for himself and his family, and there he joined his brother, Allmon Elijah Bailey.  He later brought his family to America and there they lived their life together in Buffalo, New York.  After years of unsteady employment he was excited and grateful when he was hired at General Motors, where he worked for many years until he retired.  It was while he was working at G.M. that he developed a love for Cadillac’s. If you ever had the pleasure of riding along with him, you would not soon forget the experience. 

He had a love of videotaping, and because of this, he had many precious memories on videotape of his family and grandchildren, especially with him teaching his grandchildren Sunday School Lessons.

He had a passion for cooking.  He enjoyed sharing his cooking with many.   He loved to see people happy and enjoy his culinary expertise. He also loved to BBQ, along with making his famous chicken wings, and his grandkids named it “Grandpa’s finger licking chicken”.  He   enjoyed reading and had a love for the stories written by William Shakespeare.  Some of his favorite books were “William Tell” and “Lady Chatterley Lover”.  With his great passion to read and tell stories, you would never know that he only had a 3rd grade education.

He was a gifted prayer warrior who would get calls from far and near, night and day, to pray for those in need of prayer.  He prayed for many from as far as Switzerland and as near as the city of Buffalo. He expected nothing less than for the Lord Jesus to hear and answer the prayers.  He was an ordained minister, and would often travel to the convention at the Church of Jesus Christ in Rochester NY, where his brother Bishop Allmon Bailey served as the presiding bishop.  He left an impression on the many people that came to know him.  Anyone that met him, would not easily forget him, for the expressive stories that he loved to tell. 

After the passing of his first wife of 50 years, he was wed to his present wife, Sharell Marie Davis in 2001. With this union, he gained another stepson, Vaughn Dane.  He continued to enjoy life in Buffalo, New York, along with Sharell until he succumbed to his illness. He departed this life on May 19, 2024.  He was pre deceased by his parents and 10 siblings and also his first wife Joyce Novelette Bailey.  He leaves to mourn his passing and cherish his memories his loving and devoted wife, Sharell Bailey, two daughters Jacqueline (Barrington) Spencer and Sharel (Dexter) Lee, three sons, Winston (Pauline) Bennett, Patrick (Renee) Grant and Vauhn-Dane Murray, a host of special nieces and nephews, grandchildren, great grandchildren, great, great grandchildren, as well as many unforgettable friends.

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