Jane Oliver Bailey

KNOXVILLE - Jane Oliver Bailey was born on September 1, 1929, to Hazel Lee Kreis and Charles Leonard Oliver. Jane passed away just days from what would have been her 94th birthday, leaving behind a legacy of beauty, unmatched style, and a zest for life.

Jane grew up at the Riverside Dairy Farm, run by her beloved grandfather, John Abby Kreis, whom she affectionately called “PaPa.” The dairy farm, which once boasted 215 registered Holsteins, 35 employees, and 12 delivery trucks, became the playground where Jane “ran” the place alongside her grandfather.

The farm sat atop a hill at the Forks of the River, overlooking the Tennessee River to the left and the Holston on the right. She grew up surrounded by the love of her family and the beauty of East Tennessee.

John Kreis was also known as a benevolent boss. In his “Strolling” column for the News Sentinel published on July 19, 1939, Bert Vincent wrote: “Any Friday evening you are driving the Riverside Road and look up on the hill at John Kreis’ place you’ll see the lawn lit up. And, if you’ll drive the winding road up to the big lawn, you’ll see 150 to 200 men, women, and children enjoying a moving picture and ice cream party. Those men, women, and children are John Kreis’ folks. They work for him or live on his farm.” Despite being the daughter of a dad who would disappear for days and sometimes weeks, her upbringing, in her words, was “perfect.” As a small girl, she was doted on and loved by her papa, and her hardworking mother, and was surrounded by the “extended family” of life at the farm. Jane’s childhood was also peppered with tales of her uncle, Pete Kreis, a famed race car driver whose life was tragically cut short at the Indy 500. From him, she inherited more than stories; she inherited an innate sense of glamour and style that she carried with her throughout her life. Jane attended Knoxville High School, and when she graduated in 1947, Jane Oliver convinced her mother to let her move to New York City by telling her she was planning to enroll in art school. However, Jane had no intention of going to art school. As soon as her plane landed in the big city, she rented a room at the Barbizon Hotel and headed straight for the garment district in Lower Manhattan.

It was just after the War, and there were only a couple of modeling agencies stacked next door to each other along the same block. Jane knocked on one door and then the next. The second agency took her, not because she had any particular talent, but because she was the exact same size and measurements as its lead model, Adele. Clothes could be pinned and sewn to Jane’s frame, like a mannequin, before Adele showed them off.

She watched the models and began to absorb their walks and poses until she could move with the same grace and confidence. After a few months, the latest fashions were being fitted for her to model. But on a trip back home to Knoxville, Jane met the only person who could sweep her off her feet more than the big city when David Bailey asked her on a date. He was a UT football player, tall, broad-shouldered, and with a booming, deep voice. She didn’t make it back to New York that summer. Instead, she married David Bailey, and one year later, they had their first daughter, Keith, followed two years to the day by a second daughter, Kreis, and ten years later, they had their third daughter, Kimball.

David might have been her husband, but her soulmate was her hairdresser, Kristopher Kendrick. She called him “Brother,” and they told each other everything. As a teenager, Kristopher had been a movie theater usher. Standing in the darkened recesses of the theater in his brass button uniform and tiny cap, hearing the faint whir of the projector, he glimpsed another world on the big screen. Knoxville was not Hollywood, but to a country boy, it was all bright lights and big city.

Jane became his friend and business partner, first in a hair salon and later in a ladies’ dress shop that they named Benjamin Jones. Together, they would go antiquing, back before antiquing was cool. They would comb through them for furniture and pieces of art. When mom took up art herself, she painted Kristopher’s portrait.

Jane Bailey wasn’t like other women of her time. She didn’t don a bouffant hairdo or wear wrap-around skirts; instead, she had sleek, short curls, and she dressed in sharkskin pleated skirts and perfectly tailored chemises. The Knoxville News-Sentinel once wrote her up in a feature story headlined “She Lives Fashion and Looks It,” where she admitted to owning at least 16 pairs of “home pants,” favoring toreadors and pedal pushers.

The article began, “Jane Bailey (Mrs. David T.) is one of the few women who can wear knitted shorts and look like a dream walking away.” The second sentence rattled off her “model” measurements, 35-24-34. While many of her contemporaries were content with the traditional, Jane was different. She drove a striking green chartreuse convertible, wore lipstick as her armor, and radiated confidence that made heads turn wherever she went.

When her daughter, Kreis, and her then-husband, Sandy, moved to Blackberry Farm in 1976, the first designer Kreis called was her mother, Jane. She says, “My mom knew how to make everything beautiful.” She is the inspiration behind the great design that is still celebrated today at Blackberry Farm. Jane’s legacy is more than just the beauty she left behind; it’s the lives she touched, the relationships she nurtured, and the memories she created. She left an indelible mark on everyone who knew her. Jane Oliver Bailey will always be remembered not just as a style icon but as a loving mother, grandmother, friend, and the epitome of elegance and grace. She didn’t just run the race well; she made it a grand spectacle. She is a testament to a life beautifully lived.

Jane is survived by her three daughters, Keith Bailey, son, John Abby, son Dylan and wife Hallie, grandchildren, Wallen and Hamp. Kreis Beall, husband Michael White, son Samuel E. Beall III (deceased), wife Mary Celeste, grandchildren Cameron, Sam, Rose, Josephine, Lila, son David, wife Lauren, daughters Isabella and Stella. Kim Nelson, husband Louis, children Jane, Louis, and Bailey. Other family and friends include Max Kreis, Stacy and Greg Johnson, Karen Kendrick, Sandra Smith, Celeste Herbert, Sharon Pryse, Brittany Morgan, Meghan Davis, Doug Banister, Cathy Jenkins, Susan Ford, and Tracey Ford.

Family and friends will meet at Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church Chapel on September 12, 2023, at 4:30 p.m. Family will receive friends after the Celebration.

In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the Emerald Youth Foundation at www.emeraldyouth.org/donate. Memories of Jane can be shared at www