Sandra Virginia Bailey
Sandra Virginia Bailey passed away peacefully on July 5, 2026, at Villa Alamar Memory Care in Santa Barbara, California, following a courageous journey with Alzheimer’s disease. She was 81 years old.
Born on August 10, 1944, at Fort Riley, Kansas, Sandra was the youngest of three children. As the daughter of an Army officer who later became a maxillofacial surgeon, she enjoyed a childhood filled with travel and adventure, living in Kansas, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Japan, and California. Those experiences fostered a lifelong curiosity, resilience, and appreciation for new people and places.
After her family settled in Monterey, California, Sandra attended California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. There she met Jerry Bailey, an architecture student, through her roommate. Their friendship quickly grew into a lasting love, and they were married on September 11, 1964, in the Los Angeles Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Together they shared an extraordinary 61-year marriage built on faith, devotion, adventure, and enduring love.
Following graduation, the couple made their home in Pacific Grove, California, where they began raising their family. Sandra was a devoted wife and mother whose greatest joy was caring for her family. She and Jerry welcomed three children: Steven Paul, born with spina bifida, whose life Sandra nurtured with remarkable strength and determination; Wendy, who lived only five precious weeks; and Scott, whose healthy birth brought renewed hope to the family.
Sandra’s faith was the foundation of her life. A devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she faithfully served in numerous leadership and teaching callings, offering compassion, encouragement, and quiet strength to many women throughout the years.
An avid outdoorswoman, Sandra shared with Jerry a passion for hiking and backpacking. Together they explored trails across the western United States, hiking into the Grand Canyon five times, climbing Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, and twice reaching the summit of Mount Whitney. Sandra was also an accomplished marathon runner, completing races in St. George, Utah, Big Sur, and the Santa Cruz Mountains. Among her proudest achievements were running the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim in a single day in 2012 and again in 2014 in the opposite direction.
She is survived by her loving husband of 62 years, Jerry Bailey; her sons, Steven Bailey (Deborah) and Scott Bailey (Erin); her daughter in-law, Deborah Bailey, Grandchildren, Rachel and Jules and her many friends whose lives were enriched by her love and example. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Wendy Bailey.
The family extends heartfelt gratitude to the compassionate caregivers at Villa Alamar Memory Care for the kindness and dignity they showed Sandra during her final years.
