John Holder Bailey, Jr.

A longtime resident of Warner Robins, John Holder Bailey, Jr., succumbed to cancer on November 21, 2021, at the age of 77. The son of the late John Holder Bailey and Josephine Jackson Bailey, he was born in Sandersville, Georgia, on June 1, 1944.

Mr. Bailey spent his youth in Alabama where he was an Eagle Scout and in South Carolina, graduating from A.C. Flora High School in Columbia and attending the University of South Carolina. As a young man, he worked for several retail furniture companies in the southeast, starting out in the finance area before moving into store management. In 1975, he was transferred to Warner Robins and thus began a proud association with his adopted city.

Foregoing a transfer to another store, Mr. Bailey chose instead to open The Furniture Gallery in 1984. Over the course of the next 30 years, he gained a reputation as a successful businessman, not only locally but also statewide as a respected member of the board of directors of the Georgia Home Furnishing Association. Retiring and closing the store in 2014, he and his wife subsequently divided their time between Warner Robins and Pawleys Island, South Carolina.

Immersing himself into both business and civic activities in Warner Robins, Mr. Bailey was active in the Optimist Club and the Warner Robins Bulldog Club, serving on the latter’s scholarship committee. A member of the Warner Robins Chamber of Commerce, he was on the membership campaign and military affairs committees and was honored by the Chamber as Small Business of the Month. Mr. Bailey was particularly proud to support Robins Air Force Base, actively participating in the Air Force Association and ultimately becoming a Life Member. He received United States Congressional Recognition for Outstanding Achievement, Service, and Public Distinction in 2013. A lifelong Baptist, he was a member of Shirley Hills Baptist Church.

Always a quick wit, Mr. Bailey enjoyed a good joke and had a ready smile for friends and customers alike. Although successful in all aspects of life—family, friends, and business—he often downplayed that success by professing to be just a simple, self-made businessman in comparison to whomever he was engaging in conversation. He loved watching college sports, especially football, and adopted the Georgia Bulldogs as his own, sending two of his children to that university. And he was immensely proud of his children and grandchildren, in both their youth and adulthood, following their chosen endeavors with genuine interest and active participation. Married in 1971, Mr. Bailey was even more appreciative of the achievements, support, and love of Peggie, his wife for more than 50 years. Frequently, he boasted of her academic success, teaching career, and true partnership at The Furniture Gallery.

Mr. Bailey is survived by his wife, Peggie Turner Bailey; his three children, Jennifer Jones (Keith) of Warner Robins, Meredith Russell (John) of Canton, Georgia, and Geoffrey Bailey (Amy) of Alexandria, Virginia; and his grandchildren, Bailey and Trey Jones, Rosalie Bailey and her soon to be born baby sister, and Emma and Alec Russell. He is also survived by two sisters, Louise Majors and Caroline Thomas (Jim); brother-in-law, Bill Turner (Bobbie); sisters-in-law, Minnie Patton and Ann Blalock; and numerous nephews and nieces.

A memorial service for Mr. Bailey will be held on Sunday, November 28, 2021, at 2:00 p.m in the chapel of McCullough Funeral Home in Warner Robins. A memorial gathering will precede the service at 1:00 p.m. Following the service, Mr. Bailey will be inurned in the Magnolia Park Mausoleum. For friends and family unable to attend, the service will be streamed live via the McCullough Funeral Home Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mcculloughfuneralhome/live/.

The family would like to thank the faithful friends in both Warner Robins and Pawleys Island who have been most attentive to Mr. Bailey during his illness; they have cheered and encouraged him on good and bad days and provided loving support to both him and Peggie. They are also grateful to the Heart of Georgia Hospice Team.

Friends and family who would like to remember Mr. Bailey with a memorial may do so to the American Cancer Society, 804 Cherry Street, Suite A, Macon, Georgia 31201, the National Down Syndrome Society, 8 E. 41st Street, 8th Floor New York, NY 10017, or the charity of their choice.

Learn more about the measures McCullough Funeral Home is taking to ensure the health and safety of our guests at www.mcculloughfh.com. There you can also sign an Online Registry for the family. McCullough Funeral Home and Crematory has the privilege of being entrusted with these arrangements.