Ronald Jerry Bailey

Ronald Jerry Bailey of Danville entered into Heaven’s Kingdom on November 14, 2025. His deep faith and confidence in Christ will continue to inspire all who knew him.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Carlene, daughter Erin Bailey and her partner Bill Brown of Richmond, Virginia and son Edward “Ward” Bailey of Rockingham County, North Carolina. Jerry leaves behind two brothers - John Allen Bailey (Vickie) of Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Jerome Dennis Bailey (Laurie) of Advance, North Carolina. He had one grandchild – William Garland Bailey. He also leaves behind his dear friend since elementary school, Townes Newman of Springfield, Virginia. Jerry was preceded in death by his mother and father, Mr. and Mrs. John Mason Bailey of Danville.

Born November 25th, 1953 in Augusta, Georgia, Jerry was a 1973 graduate of George Washington High School. He went on to complete his bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Averett University. Jerry succeeded in several vocations over the course of his working life. After leaving the Danville City Sherriff’s Department, he went on to run a successful landscaping business for over ten years. He retired from the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in 2020.

Jerry was a man of many hobbies and talents. He dearly loved God’s creation and spent most of his free time in the outdoors. He possessed a deep knowledge of all native trees and vegetation local to the region. Jerry followed the moon phases and other celestial bodies and could always tell you when and where certain planets and constellations would be visible in the nighttime sky. He instilled his love for the outdoors in all of the young men that joined Boy Scout Troop 300 during his time as Scoutmaster. Jerry went on to share his love of the outdoors with his grandson William, who recalls his favorite memory of ‘Papa’ was exploring the creeks where they went together to skip rocks, study bugs, and learn about nature.

Although he never had formal training, he could build or repair almost anything. He would “study on” a challenging part of a project, as he would say, and most always could figure out how to make things work. The most rewarding part of his talents were being able to share them with his family and friends.

The two pastimes he was most passionate about were paddling and motorcycling. Jerry began taking Erin and Ward on canoe trips from a very young age. His canoeing and kayaking resume included time spent paddling most every navigable river in the Dan River region and beyond. He took his family as well as his Boy Scouts on whitewater trips on the New and Gauley rivers in West Virginia. Only a small handful of contiguous US states went unexplored by motorcycle. Jerry and Townes once shipped their motorcycles to San Diego and rode all the way back to Virginia together. In 2008, Ward bought a motorcycle and was able to join Jerry and Townes on some of their two-wheeled adventures. Jerry and Townes logged well over 100,000 miles on their motorcycles over the past 20 years. His motto was “Better cold and wet on the motorcycle than warm and dry on the couch!”

All who knew him would attest to the fact that he was one of the most outgoing and gregarious people they’d ever known. Jerry didn’t miss an opportunity to strike up conversation with the people around him, whatever the circumstances, and never met a stranger. His nickname at Goodyear was “Happy Jack” due to the bright and sunny disposition that he wore every day into the factory. Well aware of how a person’s countenance wears off on others, Jerry brought mirth and laughter into an otherwise mundane industrial setting.

One of Jerry’s favorite verses of scripture was Philippians 4:8-9 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put into practice. And the peace of God be with you.” We believe that he would want to be most known for loving people and proving it with his actions.

In lieu of flowers, Jerry would appreciate you making a donation to Samaritan’s Purse at www.samaritanspurse.org.