Lonnie Lones Bailey
Elisabeth came to live in Oak Ridge in 1797. Some 125 years later, her great-great-great grandson, Lonnie Lones Bailey was born in the Scarboro community. Having been a fifth-generation Oak Ridger, however, didn’t define Lonnie.
Having a somewhat stoic childhood, he met and married the love of his life, Mildred Irene Gann, and together they raised three children, Constance Mae (the apple of his eye), Lonnie Willis (his name sake), and Dwight Douglas (the babe). Mildred, Connie and Willis preceded him in death. His sense of family was very strong, but this by itself didn’t define Lonnie, either.
In August 1943, on a hot humid Sunday morning on a beach in the Solomon Islands, a sniper’s target was hit. Lonnie was taken out of his foxhole and treated at an aid station. Some years later, he lost his leg as a result of the wound, but a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and various other medals couldn’t accurately describe Lonnie Bailey. He was also a 32nd degree mason.
