"Eula B. Deere Bailey, age 93, of Malvern passed away on Sunday, September 11, 2016." This is an excerpt from the obituary of a dear friend from my church. Losing someone close to you is always difficult, especially when you feel like you could have done more to be even closer than you were. But death doesn't care what kind of shape your relationships are in. Death is indiscriminating, and cannot be persuaded to wait for a "more convenient time."
Mrs. Eula B. was a spectacular mother, teacher, person, and child of God. She graduated from Henderson State College Bachelor's Degree in Education and taught English at Malvern Junior High and Malvern High School until 1985 when she retired from teaching and joined the Hot Spring County Retired Teachers Association. Mrs. Eula B. lived a full life, filled with love, loss, laughter, and sadness. She was a fighter and a teacher up to the very end of her life. She leaves behind three children, four grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren, all of whom will sorely miss this sweet lady.
My relationship with Mrs. Eula B. started when I was very young, and she would give me magazines, like the Highlights children's magazine, and magazines about birds, and anything else she thought I would enjoy. I have been told, on many occasions, that I had always been her favorite little girl from our church, not counting her granddaughter, of course.
Her favoritism towards me was made evident when, starting a few years ago, Mrs. Eula B. started telling me that when she died, she wanted me to sing a particular song, "His Eye is on the Sparrow," at her funeral. It was one of those requests that you could never deny, even if you are a twelve-year-old girl who had already been to more funerals for family members alone than she would have liked, including both of her biological grandmothers and several uncles.
Since then, she had reminded me of this agreement on several occasions, the latest being just a few months ago, back before I realized that, come this time, I would never be asked by Mrs. Eula B. to sing at her funeral ever again. Instead, I was asked by her daughters earlier this week to sing at her funeral, which was held on Friday, September 16, 2016, at 3:00 p.m.
The service was rather traditional, with songs, reading of scriptures, a message from our former pastor, and kind words from our current pastor. The only thing that was slightly unorthodox about the service was that it was practically arranged completely by Mrs. Eula B. before she passed away. She wrote her own obituary, appointed all of her own pallbearers, chose all of the songs, and who would be signing them or playing them, and who would speak. And, in honor of her memory, the family decided that whatever she wanted, Mrs. Eula B. Bailey would get.
From July 6, 1923, to September 11, 2016, the world was truly blest by the presence of Eula B. Deere Bailey, and my world will be forever shaped by her ministry and by her friendship. Mrs. Eula B. was never soft-spoken. If she wanted to say something, not one person could stop her from speaking her mind. And, as I am sure most of the people in our church can relate to, I found myself on the receiving end of her blunt revelations, and revelations they were because I cannot think of an instance where she was not factual in her comments. Yes, Mrs. Eula B. was very factual, but tact was never her strong suit. And, thanks to Mrs. Eula B. and her tactlessness, our pastor has learned subject-verb agreement, several church members read books they would not have chosen on their own, and I am on the road to better health. For these things, all of us are grateful for, and because of these things, Mrs. Eula B. Bailey will never be forgotten.
