Cree Allred Bailey

Our mom, Cree Allred Bailey, died peacefully in the morning on July 20, 2017 in Salt Lake City. Cree married Glen LeRoy Bailey in Salt Lake City Utah on August 30, 1948. Together they had seven children, Chris (Aaron Reed Boswell, deceased), Shauna (Clyde Kay Bowcut), Von (Joan), Roy (Scott Olds), Deborah, Randy (Dean Bradshaw), and Chad, and a slew of sixteen grandchildren.
Mom was born in Neola Utah on July 30, 1927 to Bertha Timothy Allred and Louis Ray Allred.
As a young child her life was deeply affected by major events that altered the course of her life. In 1930 the death of her mother had the greatest and the deepest impact and it touched every aspect of her life for the next 87 years. The Great Depression had begun the year before and, after the death of Bertha, sent Louis and family searching for work. This took him and his three oldest sons to California, leaving behind mom and her brother Dwayne with his sister Chloe and her family. Then came World War II driving the United States to a whole new era. Along the years, many decisions and actions by others left mom without a true sense of security or of belonging anywhere.
Without a sense of belonging or of being important to anyone, this is where mom’s history becomes imprecise for her children. At some point, for a very short period of time, mom was a domestic, and then her brother Owen graciously paid for her to go to business college where she studied typing and shorthand (of which she was very proud and practiced every day up to a few years ago.) She moved to Salt Lake City and lived in an apartment building in the Avenues that her uncle was managing. And it was in this apartment building that dad was housed after he’s repatriation and recovery from being a POW for nearly four years. Her uncle introduced them and they dated for two years until deciding to marry.
Mom was a voracious reader of everything she could get her hands on, and she had many interests but she excelled in handiwork and became proficient in all types; sewing, crochet, knitting, embroidery, needlepoint, quilting, and even tatting. There were a few interests that she became focused on in depth; African violets was one, hodgepodge (which overtook our home), and learning to write Yiddish. But the one interest that changed her life was making porcelain dolls. None of these interests were flings. They consumed her and she wanted to learn each process and understand each step. For the doll making she wanted to know everything for them to be authentic. From the molds, the pouring of the porcelain, the firing, painting, making the cloths and applying the final details.
Mom was a pro when it came to estate sales. Every weekend she was on the lookout for the next “most beautiful _____I’ve ever seen”, (insert couch; chair; cedar chest; dining room table; picture; headboard; doll; purse, etc.) Mom and her weekend buddy Scott spent many hours roaming the aisles of DI or looking for estate sales. At each stop mom made friends with everyone and everyone knew that she would want a good deal. And then cajole someone into delivering whatever it was to her house. One time Scott went to DI without mom only to find her taking a bit of a snooze on one of the couches that was for sale. She may have bought it, we’re not sure.
Mom loved a “juicy” breakfast, books, and family get-togethers, but usually wouldn’t stay long because we often made her wear a hat. Being a free spirit, one of the best things was to hear her laugh out loud was when she was going down a slide into a pool, each time landing with a huge tsunami splash. Having grown up on a farm, mom was an animal lover who alway found not only strays but knew every animal in the neighborhood wherever she lived, be it chickens, turkeys, horses, dogs or cats. There was a time she was in the yard when hummingbirds began swarming around her, trusting her and checking her out before eventually flying away. A magical moment indeed. Mom was fascinated with places in the world and would always drill Roy and Scott about their travels, wanting to know what it was like there. They would talk about where they went and what they had seen, but she always wanted to know “but what it was like”.
Mom watched CNN 24/7, often calling Roy and telling him to “watch something right now” so they could discuss it. Mom had the utmost respect for President Obama, which some of us hold dear with pride. Talking with her about the elections in 2012, it was no surprise that she did not vote a straight Republican ticket like she had always done, instead selecting those whom she regarded as the better politician. She was a renaissance woman, unknowingly for years. We honor her #ShePersisted.
Service Information
Viewing July 26, 2017 at 10:00 AM
Memorial Lake Hills Mortuary, 10055 South State Street, Sandy, Utah





Graveside Service
July 26, 2017 at 11:00 AM
Memorial Lake Hills Cemetery, 10055 South State Street, Sandy, Utah