Marquita Pearl Johnson-Bailey

Marquita Pearl Johnson-Bailey was born on February 22, 1951, in Wynnewood, OK, and died on December 13, 2023, at her home in Sylvania, AL, surrounded by loved ones. Her grandfather affectionately called her “Dolly” because she was perfect and beautiful, like a baby doll. She is preceded in death by her parents, Era Pearl Burcham and William Johnson, and three siblings, Billy Joe Burcham, William Eddie Johnson, and Elizabeth Ann Johnson. She is also preceded by her grandson, Brian Wayne McGehee, and her husband of fifteen years, Eddie DeRoy Bailey. She married W.C. McGehee in 1968, and her stepson Freddy and two more children, Marc and Shandrah, came from this union. Marquita believed in the value of an education and took degrees from Southern Oklahoma Area Vocational Technical Center (A.A. practical nursing) in 1973, Murray State College (A.A. applied science) in 1977, and East Central University (B.S. nursing) in 1987. Furthermore, she took her M.B.A. from the University of Oklahoma in 1997. She served twenty-seven years in the Air Force Reserve in the 134th and 136th units and earned her wings, becoming a Colonel. She retired from Dekalb Regional Hospital in 2018, where she served as the chief nursing officer for eight and a half years and concluded her forty-five-year career in nursing. Among her academic and professional achievements, she was a mother and grandmother. Marquita enjoyed crocheting, quilt-making, reading romance novels, home decorating, singing in the church choir, and spending time with family and friends. She was loving, driven, loyal, and full of integrity. She believed in hard work and had steadfast faith. She is survived by her partner of thirteen years, Jesse Douglas Carter (Sylvania, AL), her children, Shandrah Sharmel Bremner, and her husband, William (Ft. Smith, AR), Fredric Wayne McGehee (Tulsa, OK), and Marc Douglas McGeehee (Ft. Payne, AL). Her grandchildren, Thomas Frederic McGehee of (Prague, OK), Andrew Ivings (Dallas, TX), Olivia Ivings (Atlanta,GA), and Ethan Ivings (Sarasota, FL), and life-long family friend Sheila Ivings also survive her. Her sister, Mary Amy Johnson Reynolds of Floral City, FL . Finally, her many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends survive her. Her memorial service will occur on December 18, 2023, at 2 PM at Rainsville Funeral Home in Rainsville, AL, and a graveside service will happen on December 22, 2023, at Alexander Funeral Home at noon, with a procession to follow at Reck Cemetery at 2 PM in Wilson, OK. *Please send donations to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (https://www.bcrf.org/) in her honor instead of sending flowers if you feel inclined.

Marquita Pearl Johnson-Bailey

February 22, 1951 - December 13, 2023