Dr. Bill Martin Bailey
May 16, 1928 – January 1, 2021
Dr. Bill Martin Bailey, 92, of Cairo, GA, passed away at his home on Friday, January 1, 2021. Interment will be in Greenwood Cemetery, Cairo, GA. A private service for the immediate family will be held in the near future.
Dr. Bailey was born on May 16, 1928, in Harlem, GA, to the late Joseph Martin Bailey and Katherine Weeks Bailey. Bill graduated Salutatorian from Harlem, GA in 1945. On January 15, 1949, he married Gwen McCorkle Bailey, who preceded him in death on September 19, 2015. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree from University of Georgia on June 11, 1949. He received his Doctorate in Medicine on June 4, 1955 from the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA. He served an Internship from July 1, 1955 to June 30, 1956 at the Athens General Hospital in Athens, GA. He was licensed to practice Medicine and Surgery in the state of Georgia on July 15, 1955 and State of Florida on August 15, 1956. He received his Residency in Psychiatry from the University of Miami School of Medicine and Jackson Memorial Hospital and Veterans Administration Hospital in Miami, FL on July 1, 1970. He was appointed a Member of the State Board of Medical Examiners from February 16, 1966 to September 1969 by the Honorable Carl E. Sanders, Governor of the State of Georgia. He was appointed a Member of the Hospital Advisory Council for Construction, Licensure and Indigent Care in July 1, 1967 by the Honorable Carl E. Sanders, Governor of the State of Georgia. He was declared a Fellow of the American Society on March 4, 1964. He practiced family medicine and surgery in Cairo, GA from 1956 to 1967. He took over the practice of Dr. A.B. Reynolds. He was a Psychiatrist for Southwestern State Hospital in Thomasville, GA from July 1, 1970 to June 30, 1989, serving as Physician Clinical Director.
He was a member of First Baptist Church, having been set apart to the Office of Deacon by the church on September 11, 1960, George Cummins, Jr., Pastor. He taught Sunday School for most of his years in Cairo. He was once awarded Sunday School Teacher of the year for the State of Georgia.
Survivors include: daughter, Lynn Weigly (Mark) of Tallahassee, FL; daughter-in-law, Cecelia Martin Bailey of Cairo, GA; grandchildren, Chris Weigly of Tallahassee, FL, Michael Weigly (Ginny) of Tallahassee, FL, Brian Bailey (Ashley) of Atlanta, GA, Emily Aldrich (Hunter) of Statesboro, GA; great-grandchildren, Stella Baer of Tallahassee, FL, Madeline Bailey and Amelia Bailey of Atlanta, GA; sister-in-law, Sandy Mahon (Gary) of Tallahassee, FL; and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by: parents, Joe and Kate Bailey; wife, Gwen Bailey; infant daughter, Kathy Bailey; son, Lee Martin Bailey; and sisters, Julia Wall Johnson, Mary Alice Kemp.
Memorials may be made in Dr. Bailey’s memory to: First Baptist Church Missions; P. O. Box 1538, Cairo, GA 39828.
