To state the obvious, I wrote this in advance. If there are lies to be told in my obituary, I want to write them myself. First, I won’t say how old I was when I died. Age isn’t the best measurement of a life well lived. Also, I didn’t have a crystal ball. (See first sentence if you need clarification.)

Here is an old picture of me when I was young. Not a new picture of when I am old. I had goals and aspirations. Life happened and I never got around to them. I did check a lot of typical boxes, married, children, grandkids, dogs, cats, jobs, and a house. 

When I was 10 I wanted to just climb the perfect tree. 

When I was 18 I could roller skate like a pro.

And by 30 I was married with 4 children and a home in Fieldbrook.

If you gain weight from the number of books you consume, I would be horizontally challenged. I consumed books in the bath, in bed, on the iPad, or through audiobooks. I should be a pastor for the number of books I baptized. Falling asleep with a paperback against my face was also a very popular pastime.

Before I couldn’t anymore, I bowled. And I was good. Empirically, very good. I could hurl a 15-pound polyurethane sphere 60 feet and rack up 187 points on any given day. Bowling was not only fun, but a brilliant excuse to travel. Have you ever flown across the country with a bowling ball? Let’s just say it makes it difficult to bring back any fragile souvenirs to say the least. 

I traveled without my bowling ball as well. My favorite trip was Devils Tower. And no, there were no mashed potato premonitions beforehand. And somehow, I always stopped for lunch before I left Humboldt County. I loved to eat. Trips to Denmark, Paris, and the Caribbean were among my other favorite destinations.

To say I liked Neil Diamond is an understatement. It bordered on obsession. There were weekends I would max out the record player and it would play continuously for hours. My children accidentally learned all his songs by heart. I’ve seen 27+ concerts across multiple states. (Once I got tickets for two consecutive days in two different states.) Never once did I throw undergarments on stage. To be clear, that is not a parsing of words to imply I did it more than once either. My passion for Neil Diamond’s music could not be overstated. 

My life was not perfect, but it was so good, so good.

— Pat Bailey

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At this time no public service is planned. Pat asked that friends wishing to remember her gather over a bottle of wine and listen to her all-time favorite artist: Neil Diamond.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Pat Bailey’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.