Carrol 'Bill' W. 'Bill' Bailey

HOLDEN/KEENE, NH – Carrol “Bill” W. Bailey, 97, formerly of Holden, died peacefully on Sunday, June 2, 2013, under the loving care of his family and the staff at Bentley Commons in Keene. Born in Cincinnati, Bill was the son of Kelly J. and Weslyn J. (Huddleston) Bailey and was raised in Avon Park, Florida. He lived nearly 50 years in Holden and 12 years in South Hadley before moving to Keene in 2012.

Bill graduated from Avon Park High School in Avon Park and the University of Florida in Gainesville where he was the director of their marching band. Late in 1942, Bill enlisted in the United States Army and honorably served his country during World War II in the European African Middle Eastern Theater of Operations as part of the 81st Battalion/5th Infantry Division. Commissioned as a Captain, his infantry division was involved in the “Battle of the Bulge” and was also one of the first to assist with the liberation of the Ohrdruf Concentration Camp in Weimar, Germany in April of 1945. He continued serving his country for over 20 years as a member of the U.S. Army Reserve, retiring as a Full Colonel. Early in 1942, Bill briefly attended Columbia University where he met and married the love of his life, Betty J. Blunt, and in 1948 they moved to Holden where they raised their three children.

Bill worked as an investment advisor at Kinsley and Adams in Worcester for 30 years, retiring in 1980. His life-long passion was composing music and in his later years he composed a full scale grand opera on the life of Hernando DeSoto. In 1942, he composed the song “My First Edition”, which was performed by the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra with a very young Frank Sinatra. In his spare time, he was an amateur radio enthusiast and enjoyed conversing with fellow hams all over the world.

He leaves a son, Kent J. Bailey of Worcester; a daughter, Marcella B. Miller and her husband Kevin of Rindge, New Hampshire; and a granddaughter, Jennifer L. Pollock of Chicopee. He is predeceased by a son, Brooks J. Bailey, who died in 1970, and his wife Betty, who died in 1997.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend calling hours from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, June 7, at the Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main St., Holden. A funeral service honoring Bill’s life will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 8, at the funeral home. Interment with military honors will follow at Grove Cemetery in Holden. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Gale Free Library, 23 Highland St., Holden, MA 01520. To share a memory or offer a condolence, please sign the guestbook on this page..