Eva Dunbar Bailey

JANUARY 5, 1925 – SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

Obituary

Eva Dunbar Bailey came to the end of a full, 97 year long life Tuesday 9/13/2022. She was born 1/5/1925 in Kingston New York to Henry Fowler and Ilse (Knauth) Dunbar.

After attending Eastman and Julliard schools of music, she took a job as principal violist in the New Orleans Symphony orchestra. While there, she met and married Ralph Bailey, a medical student at Tulane University. In their 65 years together, they lived in such exotic places as Afghanistan and the Bahamas in addition to numerous places in the United States including Nacogdoches and Gatesville TX. Eva maintained her music career as much as practical, playing viola with the San Francisco CA, Dallas, and Tyler TX symphony orchestras, teaching strings at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, and for numerous private students.

Eva is survived by three children: Clyde Bailey of Little Rock Arkansas (his wife, Patricia Keightley), Ilse Bailey of San Antonio, Texas (her husband, Al Graham), and Cindy Grayson of Nacogdoches TX, four grandchildren: Joshua Fisher of Nacogdoches TX, Bobby Fisher of Nacogdoches TX, Eva Graham of Gatesville TX, and Galen Graham of Denton TX, one of her five siblings, Susan Barrymore of Santa Barbara CA, and a number of nieces and nephews and their offspring.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to the Nature Conservancy, the Stephen F. Austin music department, the Audubon society, or a charity of your choice in her honor.

A celebration of her life may be planned in the future.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.casonmonk-metcalf.com for the Bailey family.