Lora Lee Mathews Bailey

January 6, 1939 – January 11, 2017

Lora Lee Mathews Bailey (or Lollie ) returned to her Heavenly Home on Jan. 11, 2017. Lora Lee was born on Jan. 6, 1939 to Norma Peterson Mathews and Phil Sheridan Mathews. Lora lived an amazingly beautiful life of love and generosity. She touched the lives of many and in return, they loved her. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20 at Kayser’s Chapel and from 9 to 9:45 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Stake Center, 1515 S. Division, followed by funeral services at 10 a.m. Interment will be at Pioneer Memorial Gardens. Please sign the online guestbook or leave a note for the family at www.kayserschapel.com. Arrangements are in care of Kayser’s Chapel & Crematory.

Lora Lee was born in Conda, Idaho which was eight miles east of Soda Springs, Idaho. It was a very small mining town own and operated by Monsanto Mining Company. Phosphate was the ore that they mined. She had two older sisters, Kathy and Phyllis and one younger brother, Sheridan Mathews.

When she was 6 years old her family moved to Soda Springs, where she was known as “Lollie.” Lora grew up in Soda Springs and attended Soda Springs High School. She graduated in 1956 and then attended Ricks College in the fall. She majored in Education and was also the president of the Valkyries, a service organization.

She met and married Brent Bailey. They were married on Dec. 30, 1958 in Idaho Falls Temple. They were married and in love for 58 years. After she graduated from Ricks, they moved to Blackfoot, Idaho. She taught school and gave birth to their first daughter Chell Ann. Brent took a teaching job in American Falls, Idaho. Lora and Chell commuted to ISU in Pocatello so Lora could finish her degree in Elementary Education.

They soon moved to Moses Lake. Brent taught at Moses Lake High School and Lora had their second daughter TaRee in 1963 at Samaritan Hospital. Lora returned to teaching in 1966 and taught third grade at Garden Heights Elementary School. She then went on to teach fourth grade at Lakeview Elementary School and retired after 31 years. She loved to teach and loved all her students. She has many lifelong friends from teaching, church and throughout the community. Lora truly loved people. She had an infectious smile and made friends easily and they lasted forever.

Lora’s family was very important to her, and they would always come up in her conversations. Chell married Ivan Warner and had four sons. Their first son Chase married Collette and they have three going on four children: Eden, West and Redmond and soon-to-come daughter Brighton Bailey. Their second son Logan married Lisa and they are the parents of daughters Haven and Indy. Their third and fourth sons are Austin and Cale Warner. TaRee married Robert Handy and they have two sons. Their first son Jordan recently married Amarissa and their second son Brent is married to Teisha.

Lora has been blessed to live 54 years in Moses Lake, Wash.