Long time YGSF student and yoga devotee, Ron Bailey, passed away on New Years Eve of 2013. Ron was a student here since 2009 and left a very remarkable impression on all of us who were lucky enough to be around him. We will certainly miss seeing Ron after his Tuesday and Thursday Iyengar practice every week and wish condolences to all of his friends and family.
Ronald Wayne Bailey was a miraculous gift of healing to his grief-stricken family when he was born on Nov. 13, 1949, and for the rest of his life, he would continue to be a gentle, soothing presence for everyone around him.
The story of this shy, yet empathetic man began in Riverside, where his birth saved a family shattered by the polio death of his 4-year-old sister, Cathy. Even as a boy, this born listener seemed destined to be there for others, whether it was aiding his mom in the kitchen, assisting his father with the chickens, making sure his sister’s tree-house got built, or just hearing out a friend.
Mr. Bailey earned degrees in oceanography and marine biology at Humboldt State, but the tides of his world would forever change when he met partner Ronald Harrison during an internship in Jacksonville, Fla., in 1975. They would be together for the rest of Mr. Bailey’s life, moving to San Francisco in 1978 and later buying a home in Cole Valley.
In 1981, Mr. Bailey got his master’s in medical information science at UCSF, where he would join the university’s IT staff until retiring in 2009. Along the way, he enjoyed yoga, taking care of the cats, trips to Italy, wine, home remodeling projects, opera, gardening, reading and cooking (he could make a mean mincemeat tart, and the orange juice had to be freshly squeezed). Family get-togethers always brought a smile to his face.
Mr. Bailey left this world on Dec. 31, but the memory of his gentle, sincere soul will continue to be a source of comfort to those he encountered on his life journey.
He is survived by his beloved partner of 39 years, Ronald Harrison; sister, Nancy Harriman, and brother-in-law, Dennis Harriman, of La Mesa; and two brothers, Doug (and Oise) Bailey of Canyon Lake, Calif., and Jan (and Diane) Bailey of Sweetwater, Tenn. He was preceded in death by his parents, Alice and Milton Bailey; and his sister, Cathy.
