Ronald Wade Bailey Sr.

Ronald Wade Bailey Sr., 80 of Hot Springs, Ark., passed away Friday, June 10, 2016. He was born Aug. 9, 1935 in Dardanelle, Ark., to Darrell Wade Bailey and Velma Madden Bailey formally of Boonville. Ronald is survived by his wife of 61 years, Betty Jo; three children, Rhonda Jo Keith (Steven) of Little Rock, Ronald W. Bailey Jr. (Vickie) of Hot Springs and Jil Bailey Amaden (Brent) of Carlisle; eight grandchildren, Michael Keith(Amanda), Ty Woods, Joshua Keith, Sara Bailey, R. Wade Bailey III, Spencer Keith, Bailey Amaden and Gray Amaden and five great-grandchildren. In addition to his parents, Ronald is preceded in death by daughter, Gina Renee Bailey of Stuttgart. Ronald was raised in Boonville, Ark., where he played school sports, semi-pro baseball for the Boonville State Champions and found his early calling, instrumental music. Ronald began playing the trumpet at an early age and by the time he was in high school was teaching band three days a week in the Director's absence. After graduating from Boonville High School, Ronald attended Arkansas Tech University (ATU) on a music scholarship where he was president of the ATU Band, listed in Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities and a member of the Blue Key Honor Fraternity. During his college years he also played First trumpet in Tech's Dance Band, directed the ROTC Band and was Band Director at Danville High School. ATU was where Ronald found his beauty queen and on June 12, 1955 married the love of his life, Tech Band featured twirler, Betty Jo Ruffin of DeWitt, Ark. He graduated from ATU in 1957 and in 1974 was inducted into its HALL OF DISTINCTION, the University's highest alumni honor. Ronald did post-graduate work at the University of Arkansas and played in the University Symphony, before being commissioned as an officer in the U. S. Army and attending Artillery and Guided Missile School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Ronald spent 16 years in the Arkansas Army National Guard. Ronald and family moved to DeWitt, Ark., in 1957 where he was the director of band and public school music for the next two years. In 1960, his talents and intellect were discovered by a Girl Scout Troup leader who happened to be the wife of a prominent DeWitt businessman who immediately recruited Ronald into the rice milling industry. He spent the next seven years learning the rice milling business at Smith Rice Mill in DeWitt. In 1967 Ronald took the helm of Producers Rice Mill in Stuttgart, Ark., where he drove a modernization and expansion campaign for the cooperative. Under his leadership, Producers grew exponentially over the next 21 years, building some of the most modern and automated facilities in the industry and expanding the cooperative's base throughout Arkansas and its markets around the world. During his tenure, Producers became a major global competitor in the rice industry. While in the rice industry, Ronald was honored to travel the world and serve the industry in many capacities including: President of the Rice Millers Assn. and the Arkansas Drier and Warehouseman's Assn. He was appointed to the Rice Advisory Council by the U S. Secretary of Agriculture and served on the International Programs Committee. He also served his communities in many capacities, including as President of the DeWitt Jaycees, Chairman and Member of the Federal Reserve Bank (Little Rock branch), President of the Stuttgart Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Administrative Board of the First United Methodist Church in Stuttgart and leading fundraiser and Silver Beaver for the Boy Scouts of America. In 1988, Ronald retired from Producers and embarked on a new career in the renewable energy business. Founding PRM Energy Systems along with his son, he proceeded to travel the world again with a new purpose, building gasification plants to convert waste materials into valuable energy products. Over the years, the company has installed numerous plants on five continents, from the jungles of Malaysia to the U.S. delta. As usual, Ronald was well ahead of the times, pioneering what has become the green energy movement. Ronald is highly recognized in the renewable energy industry as a Fellow Member of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers, a member of the Biomass Institute and the Fiber Fuels Institute and served on the U.S. A.I.D. Biomass Review Panel. Ronald is a member of the First United Methodist Church in Hot Springs and has been a devout Christian his entire life. He used his God given talents to witness to others by teaching heartfelt, thought provoking and unforgettable Sunday School lessons, by singing in church choirs for many years and by serving on church boards and numerous committees. He was most memorable to many of his fellow parishioners as a musician. Even as late as his 79th year, he was still playing trumpet solos and accompanying the church choir with his beloved trumpet. Ronald was an eternal optimist who loved life and loved his family. His greatest joy was being "Big Daddy" to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and had the shiniest shoes around. Services will be Tuesday, June 14, 2016, beginning with visitation at the First United Methodist Church in Hot Springs from 9:30-11 a.m., followed with a Celebration of Life Ceremony at 11 a.m. A graveside service will be held at 4 p.m. in the Lone Tree Cemetery in Stuttgart, Ark. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to First United Methodist Church of Hot Springs and the Gina Renee Bailey Scholarship Fund in care of Farmers and Merchants Bank in Stuttgart, Ark. Guests may register at www.caruth-hale.com.