Mary Lou Bailey of Alna, Maine died peacefully with her family by her side on June 8, 2026, just three days shy of her 89th birthday.

Born on June 11, 1937 in Washington, D.C., she was the daughter of Colonel Thomas Cothran Perrin, USMC, and Mary Hennessy Perrin. Most of her childhood was spent in her beloved town of Concord, Massachusetts. Mary Lou graduated from Concord High School in 1955 and the nursing program at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1958. She served as a head nurse at Mass General, an office nurse in Boston, Massachusetts and Tucson, Arizona nd later with the Head Start Program in East Boothbay, Maine. She went on to work for many years as a title abstractor for Griffin & Harris law offices in Boothbay Harbor.

Mary Lou married Linwood Bailey on Feb. 21, 1963 in Alna, Maine. He had a long career in the Air Force, so they lived in Bedford, Massachusetts,Tucson, and Honolulu, Hawaii. After he retired from the Air Force as a Master Sergeant, they settled in Alna with their children. Mary Lou was instrumental in helping Lin set up his own business, MidCoast Appliance, while raising their children Ellen and Woody.

We remember her as an expert genealogist and researcher who traipsed through old cemeteries and spent hours at a time researching in county courthouses and archives. She also kept up an active presence on online genealogy websites until her death. Mary Lou loved doing the New York Times puzzles every day. Other passions included reading, needlework, music, and traveling to nearly every state in the U.S. with her husband Lin and pets in their RV.

Mary Lou was preceded in death by her husband Linwood A. Bailey  Jr.

She is survived by daughter Ellen Bailey Pippenger and her husband Daniel Pippenger of Portland, Oregon and son Linwood (Woody) Bailey and his wife Karen Brissette Bailey of Sabattus, Maine. She is also survived by grandchildren Kate, Rachel, and Julia Pippenger; Lindsey Bailey, Grace Woodard Terrell, and Daniel and Samuel Woodard; Joshua and Vance Bailey; and Stephen and John Prior. 

On Friday, June 12, a ceremony will be held at 1 p.m., preceded by visiting hours beginning at noon at Desmond Funeral Home on 638 High Street in Bath, Maine. Burial will be at the Alna Cemetery in Alna.

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