Graveside service for MAJ (Retired) Peter M. Bailey will be at 11:00 am Friday, April 27, 2018 in the Fort Sill National Cemetery, Elgin.

Major Bailey passed away Sunday, April 15, 2018 in Lawton.

Burial with full military honors will be under the direction of Becker-Rabon Funeral Home.

The family will greet friends Thursday evening, April 26, 2018 from 6pm until 8pm at the funeral home.

Peter Maurice Bailey, 76, Lawton passed away Sunday, April 15, 2018 in Lawton.  He was born May 26, 1941 in Dar-Es-Salam, Tanzania to Hugh and Norah (Wilson) Bailey.  His father retired as Senior Superintendent of Police in the British Colonial Police Service.  On his father's retirement the family moved back to England.  Peter graduated from high school in Mayfield, Sussex.  He became a navigating officer apprentice in the Temple Steamship Company, a subsidiary of Cunard.  During his apprenticeship he circumnavigated the world twice, passing through the Suez Canal six times, the Panama Canal twice and crossing the Pacific and Indian Oceans twice.  In the summer of 1961he became engaged to Beryl E. "Suzanne" Bryce, whose parents, Dr. James and Cecile Bryce and his parents had been close friends in Tanzania.  In May 1962 he immigrated to London, Ontario, Canada where his fiancé was living.  He and Suzanne were married in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada on October 18, 1962.  He immigrated to the United States on February 24, 1964 and joined the US Army on February 26, 1964.  He went through basic and advanced training at Fort Knox, Kentucky and was then assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Kaiserslautern, Germany.  While in Germany he applied for Officer Candidate School.  In October 1967 he was re-assigned to Fort Knox as a Drill Sergeant.  In March 1968 he attended the Field Artillery OCS at Fort Sill.  Immediately after he was commissioned on August 20, 1968, he was assigned to C Battery, 2nd Battalion, 4th Field Artillery, 9th Infantry Division, Vietnam.  During his commissioned service he commanded three artillery batteries, served on battalion, brigade, division and corps artillery level staffs.  He also served a tour in Korea and two tours in Germany.  In May 1974 he obtained his Bachelor's Degree from Cameron University in Lawton.  After his retirement from the US Army on August 31, 1986 with 22.5 years of service, he worked on the US Customs contract to store and dispose of all seized property nationwide with Northrop Worldwide Aircraft Services, Lawton and EG&G Services, Fairfax, Virginia.  In 1997 EG&G transferred him to the Kelly Distribution Center, Kelly Air Force Base, San Antonio, TX.  As a result of base realignment the Defense Logistics Agency warehouse operation was converted to commercial warehousing.  He was the Director of Quality Assurance.  During his employment in San Antonio he became a certified International Standards of Operation (ISO) auditor.  He retired from EG&G in the summer of 2000 and moved back to Lawton.  In January of 2001 he was employed a s a security screener at the Lawton Airport, initially with a commercial company and then with the Transportation Security Agency.  In November 2003 he retired permanently and started volunteering his time at the Fort Sill National Cemetery and the Lawton/Fort Sill Veterans Center.  In addition, he volunteered time with the Military Order of the Purple Heart (Chapter 602) and the Vietnam Veterans of America (Chapter 751) helping other veterans and their families.  He thoroughly enjoyed his stamp collecting hobby.  He was a truly loving and caring husband and father.  He will be sorely missed by all of his family and the many close friends he had made and stayed in contact with over the years.  Major Bailey's military decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with "V" device and one oak leaf cluster, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal and two oak leaf clusters, Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal with "V" device and two oak leaf clusters and the Army Good Conduct Medal.  During his military service, commercial employment and his volunteer service he received many letters of appreciation, commendations and certificates.

Survivors include his wife Suzanne of the home, oldest son David and wife Nani and their children Nicholas and Samantha of Grand Island, NY, his daughter Shannon and her husband COL Kelly Hines, AVN, US Army and their children Alexander and Riley and his youngest son, Ian and his wife Meghan and their children Andrew and Liliane of Cibolo, TX.  He is also survived by his brother Irvine Bailey and wife Penny and their sons Nicholas and Shawn of Gauldry, Scotland, his sister Sheilagh Bailey of Gauldry, Scotland, sister Patricia Doy and her children Michael, Suzanne, Francis, Andrew and Jennifer of Brisbane, New South Wales, Australia.

He was preceded in death by his parents Hugh and Norah Bailey who are interned in Perth, Scotland.