John William Bailey

John William Bailey of Little Rock, Arkansas passed away on Sunday, May 19, 2019 at the age of 66. He was born on November 15, 1952 in Jackson, Tennessee to his late parents, William Hampton and Norreen M. Cassidy Bailey. John graduated from the University of Tennessee with a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering in 1975 and a master's degree in Structural Engineering in 1977. John spent the majority of his professional career working in the construction industry focused on steel fabrication and erection. He acted as the Chief Operating Officer of Havens Steel Company in Kansas City, MO for 14 years before becoming the President of Prospect Steel in Little Rock, AR in 2000. He proudly served on the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Steel Construction and the Central Fabricators Association. As a result of his contributions to structural engineering, John received the Outstanding Alumnus Award from the University of Tennessee Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering in 2000 and was inducted as a member of their inaugural Hall of Fame class in 2017. John was an avid, if admittedly average, golfer. He forged many friendships on the courses at Chenal Country Club, where he was a member. He enjoyed watching sports and was an enthusiastic fan of the UT Volunteers and Kansas City Chiefs. John was a dedicated father who enjoyed beating his sons in pool and losing to them in pinball. He was excited to get to spend time with his young grandson who knew him as "Granddaddy." John leaves behind his wife of 44 years, Marilyn Jane Bailey; sons Andrew Craft Bailey and his wife, Amy and their son, Aidan of New York City, N.Y., Daniel Hampton Bailey of Tampa, Fla. and Patrick William Bailey of Fayetteville, Ark.; and sister, Linda Herring and her husband Bartley of Memphis, Tenn. A memorial service to celebrate John's life will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 24, 2019 in the chapel of Roller-Chenal Funeral Home, 13801 Chenal Pkwy, Little Rock, Ark. Memorial gifts may be made in John's memory to West Cancer Center, 7945 Wolf River Boulevard, Germantown, Tenn. Please offer condolences at www.rollerfuneralhomes.com/chenal.