Robert Edmund “Bob” Bailey, age 92, of Luverne, Minnesota, passed away on Friday, March 21, 2025, while at the Sanford Luverne Hospital.
Memorial visitation will be Friday, April 25, from 4-6 p.m. at Hartquist Funeral Home in Luverne. Memorial service will be Saturday, April 26, at 10:30 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Luverne. Burial will be at Ottertail Union Cemetery in Ottertail, Minnesota.
Arrangements are under the care of Hartquist Funeral Home. To read Robert’s Life History or sign an online registry, please visit www.hartquistfuneral.com.
Robert Edmund Bailey was born on August 19, 1932, in Canby, Minnesota, to Charles and Adele (”Della”) Bailey. He passed away on March 21, 2025, in Luverne, Minnesota, from the effects of pneumonia, influenza, and having lived 92 wonderful years filled with laughter, love, and playful shenanigans.
Bob and his family moved to Lake Preston, South Dakota, in 1938. After his father’s passing in 1940, they moved to Pipestone, where he attended Pipestone Public School and graduated in 1950.
Bob enlisted in the Army in 1951, spending time at Camp Rucker in Alabama until serving nine months overseas during the Korean War. In whatever home they lived in (and there were many), a photo was always hanging of Bob and his best Army buddy, Willie, showing their swagger in Korea on the hood of a jeep. He was always humble but spoke with pride of being in a racially integrated troop, one of the first under President Truman’s orders to desegregate the military.
After Bob came home from the war and needed to make a living as a civilian, he applied for a job at Northwestern Bell Telephone Company based on his mother’s advice. Della’s instinct was a good one, and Bob found his professional home at Northwestern Bell, working there for more than 30 years. He held a variety of jobs over the course of his career with a common thread of making it easier for people to connect with one another, which was also one of his gifts in life.
Bob married Darlene Patrick in Lake Benton, Minnesota, and they built a wonderful family together, raising four kids in countless homes across Luverne, Albert Lea, and Mound, Minnesota. When it was time to retire, they upgraded their cabin on Pelican Bay in Ottertail, Minnesota, into a full-time home. Though they made their way back home to Luverne in 2011, they cherished their years together in Ottertail, and that is the location they chose for their final rest.
Family, community and church were the foundations of Bob’s life. He served as deacon of Luverne Presbyterian Church, taught Sunday school, and sang in the choir. Bob and Dar were very involved at the Methodist Church in Ottertail. Bob was a member of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club International, and the Luverne Fire Department.
He thoroughly enjoyed (and was very talented at) spontaneous performances of Longfellow’s “Song of Hiawatha” to the delight of his family and anyone in earshot. Bob also enjoyed golfing, fishing, beating us all at cards – even if it was sometimes because he would peek at ours – and a good Brandy Manhattan. He celebrated big birthdays by water skiing and marked significant family events well into his later years by standing on his head.
He was loved by so many, but especially Dar. They went through nearly 70 years of life side by side and have been a model for what a loving partnership looks like. We will miss him terribly but are grateful for the wonderful life he lived and the legacy and lessons he leaves behind.
Bob is survived by his wife, Darlene Bailey; children Barry (Carla) Bailey, Chuck (Cindy) Bailey, Sue (Tom) Brakke, and Mike Bailey; grandchildren Crystal Brakke, Michael (Sangeeta Rana) Brakke, Alanna (Mike Rosenberger) Bailey, Daniel Brakke, Lily Bailey, Alex Bailey, Victoria Bailey, and Michael (“Buddy”) Bailey Jr.; stepgrandchildren Dustin (Amber) Monier and Ashley (Shane Murphy) Monier; great-granddaughter Dara Brakke; and several stepgreat-grandchildren.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Adele Bailey; and sisters Dorothy Orr, Betty Higley and Pat Kellogg.
