Greenberry "Joe" Bailey, 76, Rural Erskine, MN died Tuesday, August 28, 2007 at Riverview Hospital in Crookston.

Joe was born August 19, 1931 in Maysville, Oklahoma and was the son of William F. and Jessie E. (Phillips) Bailey. His parents farmed at different locations in central Oklahoma until they moved to Asher, Oklahoma in 1942. Joe graduated from Asher High School and entered into the United States Army in 1949. He was stationed at various Camps and Forts in the United States and served in Guam, France, Germany, Japan, Okinawa, Hawaii and Korea. Of course no Far East tour of duty would be complete without a "visit" to Vietnam, which he made before there were any US combat troops in country. With more than 22 years of service he retired from the United States Army with the rank of Lt. Colonel. He was awarded the Army of Occupation Medal (Germany); Legion Of Merit; Army Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters; Airborne Badge; Armed Forces Reserve Medal; National Defense Service Medal (1st OLC); Korean Defense Service Medal; and Expert Infantryman's Badge.

After retiring Joe attended the University of Texas at El Paso, where he graduated with a BBA in Accounting. He also holds an LLB from LaSalle Extension University, Chicago, Illinois. Following graduation from the University of Texas at El Paso he was employed by the State National Bank of El Paso, where he began his career in the Trust Department. In 1974 he was promoted to Manager of Trust Operations. In 1977 he was again promoted to Manager, of Planning and Performance Analysis for the bank. He was promoted several other times and was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer when he retired on September 1, 1994 after more than 23 years in banking. Joe was also a member of the Bank's Board of Directors from 1991 through 1994.

He married Janice Rae Marie Leslie of Mahnomen, MN on June 15, 1973 in Los Cruces, New Mexico. Janice and Joe each had children from previous marriages. They were blessed with the birth of twin daughters on October 17, 1975. After the tragic death of their daughter Lori Jean on March 8, 1992 they started thinking about moving to another location and finally made the decision to move to Minnesota. They have lived on Union Lake since that time.

Neither rain nor sleet nor snow would keep Joe from his volunteer duties at Rydell National Wildlife Refuge. He cherished his friendships and the time he spent there over the last several years.

Joe is survived by his wife Janice; two daughters, Darla (Fernando) Soto of McIntosh, MN and Sharon (Troy) Kreitinger of Keller, Texas; a son David (Becky) Wilson, El Paso, Texas; ten grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; one brother and two sisters. HE was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, two daughters and a great-grandson.