Weldon Kirby Bailey

1923 - 2003

Weldon Kirby Bailey, 79, died Thursday, Feb. 27, 2003, in Fort Worth.

Mass of Christian Burial: Noon Tuesday at St. Andrews Catholic Church. Vigil Service: 7 p.m. Monday at Thompson's Harveson & Cole Funeral Home, where the family will be present beginning at 6 p.m. Burial: Greenwood Memorial Park.

Weldon Bailey retired in 1989 from then-General Dynamics, now Lockheed Martin, after 40 years in engineering and was chief project engineer on the F-16 program at that time. He was a design manager on the team that engineered the YF-16 in the early 1970s, and previously was in engineering on the B-36, YB-60, RB-57 and FB-111.

Weldon was a Registered Professional Engineer in Texas. He was a graduate of Texas A&M with a BS degree in Aeronautical Engineering and also had an MS degree in Engineering Administration from SMU. For eight years, he served as an industrial representative to the dean of engineering of Texas A&M University and was an honorary guest lecturer of the Department of Aerospace Engineering.

During World War II, he was a B-17 pilot in the Second Bomb Group in the 15th Air Force in Europe and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with five clusters, Distinguished Unit Badge and the European Theater Ribbon with five Battle Stars.

Among his many bombing missions was the first shuttle mission to Russia, Operation "Frantic Joe," June 2 through June 11, 1944, for which he was awarded the Commemorative Medal "The 50th Anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War" (World War II) by the Russian Federation in 1996 through its ambassador to the U.S. for direct support to the Russians in that war.

He was a member of St. Andrews Catholic Church, a past president of Parish Council and a member of the choir for over 30 years. He was a member of Colonial Country Club, Petroleum Club of Fort Worth, National Management Association, Fort Worth-Tarrant County A&M Club and the Second Bombardment Association, the oldest bombardment association in the United States, which originated in 1918.

Survivors: Wife of 60 years, Millie Bailey; children, W. Douglas Bailey of Fort Worth, Cynthia Bailey Scott of Fort Worth, Melinda Bailey Raphael and her husband, Stephen of Colleyville and John P. Bailey and his wife, Emily of Fort Worth; grandchildren, Deborah Bailey Michell, Gregory Allen Bailey, Sharon Lynn Scott, Patrick Wilson Bailey and Scott Trevor Raphael; great-grandchildren, Bailey Nicole Michell and Mason Gregory Michell; brother, Lloyd Bailey Jr. of California; and sisters, Helen Cason of Fort Worth and Pauline Charney and her husband, Franklin of Colorado.