JANE BEASLEY BAILEY
1933-2021
Jane Beasley Bailey passed away on April 5, 2021 in Houston at the age of 87.
Jane was born in Dallas, Texas on November
16, 1933. She graduated from The Hockaday School in 1951, where she made several friends with whom she remained close throughout her life. Jane obtained degrees in English and Education from SMU, where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and, in 1955, began her teaching career at Bradfield Elementary School in Dallas.
After moving to Washington, D.C. for four years, Jane returned to Dallas and then moved with her family to Houston in 1965 and resumed her career in early childhood education. She taught pre-kindergarten through second grade at Annunciation Orthodox School, Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart and several other schools and was a longtime volunteer at the Las Americas Early Childhood Development Center in Houston. Along with a group of other young activists, Jane was instrumental in forming the Citizens for Good Schools coalition, which led a long and ultimately successful battle to desegregate the Houston Independent School District in the late 1960s. In 1979, Jane took a break from teaching to work as an administrative assistant to United States Senator Lloyd Bentsen. She then served as an assistant to Harris County Commissioner Tom Bass and later as Director of Membership of the Houston Apartment Association, after which she then returned to teaching with HISD and was a Teacher of the Year finalist in 1997, shortly before her retirement.
Although some considered her a bit shy, Jane had a bright smile and a hearty laugh. She loved the outdoors and enjoyed weekends at the family farm near in Brenham, summers in Galveston and occasional jaunts to Colorado and New Mexico. She was very fond of all animals and cared for many cats, dogs, birds, and other critters over the years. Most of all, Jane loved being with her family and friends, by whom she will be sorely missed.
Jane was preceded in death by her parents, Arch Allen “AA” Beasley, Sr. and Helen Marie Haley Beasley; her son, John Allison Bailey, Jr., and daughter, Catherine Jane Bailey; her former spouse, John Allison Bailey; and her “lifetime dog” Max.
She is survived by her son, Stephen Robert Bailey and his wife, Susan, of Houston; and by her brother Dr. H. Kent Beasley (wife Mary Adele, deceased) of Austin; her brother Arch A. Beasley, Jr. and his wife, Ann, of Dallas; her sister, Gail Beasley Clark and her husband, Bob, of Dallas, and their children and grandchildren.
The family would like to thank Jane’s long-time physician, Dr. Martin White, as well as Drs. Jose Gutierrez, Christoper Merkl, and Caroline Mbogua, for their attentive care and is most grateful to all of the nurses and caregivers at The Forum at Memorial Woods for their incredibly kind and compassionate assistance during Jane’s final years.
A private memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, April 13th. The service will be live-streamed on Facebook and can be viewed on her memorial page through Earthman Bellaire Funeral Home’s website at www.earthmanbellaire.com, or on Earthman Bellaire’s Facebook page at https:// www.facebook.com/EarthmanBellaire/.
Jane’s ashes will be interred at Restland Cemetery in Dallas, TX at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Alzheimer’s Association, the Houston SPCA or a charity of your choice.