1915
Ruby
2008
Ruby Bailey
February 14, 1915 — September 4, 2008
Ruby Nugier Bailey, born on Valentine's Day 1915, died Thursday, September 4, 2008 of heart failure in Panama City, Florida, while evacuated for Hurricane Gustav.
She was one of three children born to Eleanor Graham Nugier and Morris Nugier. Her younger sister Elsie died of appendicitis at the age of 13. Her older brother, John Nugier, Lafayette Insurance Businessman died at the age of 69 in 1985.
Ruby was married to the former Robert J. Bailey, son of Judge William Walton Bailey and Louise Sabatier Bailey of Abbeville. She is survived by her only son, John Morris Bailey married to Carolyn Christian Bailey of Lacombe; three grandchildren, Cristine Bailey Luce of Gonzales, Michael Neal Bailey of Orlando, Florida, and Amanda Casey Bailey of Lacombe; and three great grandchildren, Kimberly Ann Luce, Lauren Elizabeth Luce and Abby Kay Luce of Gonzales.
Ruby was born in her family home in Kaplan and all but for a handful of years she lived there at the corner of Faye and Third Street at a location recognized by many for her elaborate holiday decorations and year round flower gardens.
Ruby was the inspiration and founder of the Chic-a-la-Pie Mardi Gras Krewe in 1952, and has been its queen twice, and has been instrumental in the organization's growth. Beginning with herself plus horse and buggy and no parade behind her, the fledgling idea developed into an event drawing thousands of visitors into Kaplan for the annual Fat Tuesday celebration.
She has been a long time member of the Kaplan Methodist Church and always made sure there were flowers on the altar.
Ruby's life calling was to be a servant to others, a calling she relished. She was an avid gardener, a friend to the sick and a tireless worker in social organizations.
In 2007, at the age of 92, she was honored as Kaplan's Living Legend. She attended, making is one of her last visits to her beloved town, as by then she lived with her son and daughter-in-law. She was so proud and also humbled to receive the award and later spoke sentimentally of being able to visit with many of her friends, old and young, as she realized this might be the last time she would see most of them.
She was loved by so many and will be sorely missed by townspeople, friends and especially her family.
The family requests that visiting hours be observed at Vincent Funeral Home - Kaplan, 300 N. Eleazar Avenue, on Saturday, September 20, 2008 from 9 a.m. until services at 12:00 p.m. She will be laid to rest at Graceland Cemetery next to her beloved Robert.
Instead of flowers, the family requests that donations may be made to Hospice Care of Louisiana and Mississippi, 770 Gause Blvd., Suite C, Slidell, LA 70458 or to the Kaplan United Methodist Church, 501 N. LeJeune Avenue, Kaplan.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Ruby Bailey, please visit our flower store.
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