Jerry L. Bailey

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Bailey, Jerry L. of Minne-tonka, Minnesota, left this world April 5th, 2015, 10 days before his 73rd birthday, while enjoying Florida sunsets and tropical breez es with the love of his life, Mary Jo (Sgro) Bailey, his wife of 23 years, and their canine companions, Sadie Mae and Buster. His passing is a huge loss to his family, and his family of friends. Jerry's legacy lives on through his soulmate and wife, who, through life planning with him, will continue the work and the many projects they've envisioned and created together, as they did everything in their lives. Jerry's legacy also lives on through his two deeply beloved daughters, his eldest, Kristin Lafon of Barrington, Illinois and her children, Juliette, 20, and Charles, 14, and his younger daughter Erin Sansone, her husband Michael of Barrington, Illinois and their children, Hugh, 5, Bobby, 3, and Peter, 1; they have all been blessed with countless good memories that they will treasure for years to come. He is also survived by his brothers Ronald G. Bailey and his wife, Priscilla, Denis Bailey, and his wife, Nancy, his sister Marlys Bayse and, her husband Thomas, nieces, and nephews, and many other relatives Jerry held in his heart, in addition to a multitude of dear friends. Jer was a remarkable human being; a leader, a teacher, a mentor, a philosopher, a designer, a landscape architect, a developer, a visionary, a sculpture, a cancer survivor, and himself, an eager student of life. Strong and wise, Jerry exuded a childlike wonder and curiosity for all life has to offer and with that, he created an incredible life many may only dream of; Jerry was a 'force of nature' and a compelling inspiration to all who knew him. He lived his entire life fully and passionately, taking no one and nothing for granted. More than all, Jerry loved his family and friends. Born on April 15th, 1942, in Fairmont, Minnesota, he was the 2nd of 4 children born to Melvin and Audrey (Hansen) Bailey. Being born 4 months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Jerry was greatly influenced by his father joining the Navy and serving in the South Pacific during WWII. This sparked Jer's own patriotism and passion for military service. Jerry graduated from high school in Humboldt, Iowa. He then earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Landscape Architecture, also graduating from the US Army Reserve Officer Training Corps - (Engineer Officer School) at Iowa State University. He served as a 1st Lt. for the Army Corp of Engineers in Viet Nam, earning several awards, most notably, the US Army Legion of Merit and the US Army Bronze Star for "consistently surpassing the highest of expectations through his willingness to sacrifice himself to serve with devotion and excellence". Returning to civilian life in 1967, Jerry formed Bailey & Associates. With a staff of 12, this professional design consulting firm provided land planning and urban design services to commercial, industrial, institutional, residential, and public clients. The firm provided extensive land planning and detailed project design consulting services for the New Town of Jonathan, MN; Keystone International Ski Area, Dillion, CO; The Woodlands New Town, Houston, TX; numerous projects for private developers in Minnesota and Colorado; and provided new community design standards for Banco de Safra, Sau Paulo, Brazil. In 1970, Jerry founded and formed Arteka Corporation to provide contracting services. 1975 Bailey & Associates was merged with Arteka Corporation. Through many years of operation, Arteka provided land planning, site planning, & design-build contracting services to developers and end-users of all types of real estate projects. The company was developed into a comprehensive structure with up to 70 employees. Over two thousand projects were negotiated, conceived, designed, managed, and built. In 1992, Arteka's name and part of its assets were sold and merged with another company. Over the course of his career, Jerry received numerous professional recognitions for his work in land planning and landscape architecture, including 2 HUD Design awards, #1 and #2 for open space design and construction for Jonathan New Town in Minnesota, the Owens-Corning Energy Conservation Award, the National Association of Home Builders Gold and Silver Award and the Minnesota Masonry Institute Award for development of Arteka's Headquarters Building. Jerry was also awarded numerous American Society of Landscape Architecture Design Awards for Minnesota, Colorado and California projects. An evolving legacy of Jerry's artistic talents and love of nature will continue at the "culmination of his career," the SkyRidge Business Center & Nature Preserve located in Minnetonka, Minnesota, where his spirit will live on forever. In reflection of Jerry's lifelong deep compassion and empathy for animal welfare, his love of art, and for the environment, a 501c3 nonprofit has been created to carry on his many dreams and visions. Memorials may be made to, SkyRidge Alliance, 5800 Baker Road, Suite 110, Minnetonka, Minnesota 55345. Jerry loved life and lived it to the fullest. He always had many lists of things to do and projects underway. He was a deeply committed, devoted, true friend to many fortunate people. He was also adventurous; parachuting on his 70th birthday, riding in hot air balloons and diving from high places. "The sun is dimmer and the stars are farther away" Jerry is forging a new path, and with that, we thank him and love him, and bid him adieu, until we meet again. To join Jerry's family and friends in honoring and celebrating his extraordinary life, contact Denise for information 952-933-2020. fullernaples.com

Published on July 19, 2015