Anna Lorene Bailey

Anna Lorene (Norman) Bailey, 96, a long-time resident of Independence, MO passed from this world to be with the Lord on July 16, 2020.

Anna was born in Cedar County, MO to Otha and Violet (Dillsaver) Norman. She graduated from El Dorado Springs Highschool at 17 years of age, and shortly thereafter she traveled to the big city (Kansas City) to live in an apartment with her cousins and find a job. She was too young to get on at any of the manufacturing factories where many women were working during WWII, so she worked at Wards until she turned 18, and then she went to work at the North American Bomber Plant in Kansas City, KS. She became a riveter on the B-25 bomber airplane. She and her fellow female riveters would be honored later in life as Rosie the Riveters. She said she remembers the day the war ended. Her supervisor came around and told them the war had ended. There was complete silence as all the machines and rivet guns stopped. Everyone came back the next couple of days to do inventory, and then the plant closed. She said it was an honor and a pleasure being a Rosie, knowing we were helping our country and helping our men and boys who were serving.

She met her husband, Lane Evans Bailey, at the plant, and when he came home from the war, they were married. They had 58-1/2 years together, six children, and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. Her husband preceded her in death on July 29, 2004, and she missed him very much until the day she left this world to be with him and all her loved ones who went before.

Anna was a member of New Hope Baptist Church in Independence. Before her retirement in 1985, she and her husband owned the Bailey Bedding Co. on Truman Road in Kansas City, MO. Later she worked for the Independence School System in Mill Creek School in the kitchen serving the grade school students. She loved this job interacting with the students and staff.

Her parents, son Rickie Bailey, daughter Barbara Johnson, brothers Gene, Jim, Wayne and Fred Norman preceded her in death. She is survived by daughters Linda Cartwright and husband Joe, Judy Fields and husband Bill; sons Darrel Bailey and wife Val, and Ron Bailey, and 9 grand-children, 19 great-grandchildren, 2 great-great-grandchildren; sister Ruth Pearce and husband Andy, sisters-in-law Saundra Norman and Sarah Norman.

Services will be 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 22 at Carson Speaks Chapel, 1501 W. Lexington Avenue, Independence, with interment in Woodlawn Cemetery. Visitation will be Tuesday from 6-8pm.