Joette Cather Bailey, 76, of Winchester, VA, died at Winchester Medical Center on August 16, 2022 after a lengthy hospitalization.
Joette was born in Winchester on August 13, 1946 to Elsie May Louthan Bailey and Tevious Cather Bailey. She attended Winchester Public Schools, graduating from John Handley High School in 1964.
After obtaining a degree in English from Longwood College in 1968, Joette began a forty-year career with Fairfax County Public Schools as a ninth-grade English teacher, teaching primarily at Herndon High School. During this time, she also obtained a Master’s Degree in education from George Mason University and served as adviser to the high school’s literary magazine. She retired in 2009.
Joette’s immediate family members had all predeceased her: her father in 2008 and her younger sister, Deborah Bailey, in 2018. After Debbie’s death, Joette assumed care-giving responsibilities for their mother until her death in 2021 at age 95.
Joette is survived by her three beloved housecats and extended family members, aunt, Patty Bailey Grove (Bob) and cousins, Kimberli Grove Ball, Kerry Grove, Rob Grove, Leslie Louthan and Jim Louthan. She is also survived by her former spouse and special friend of over forty years, Sharon Loudenslager.
Joette was a Christian, a proud Democrat, and a supporter of equal rights and fair treatment for all peoples. Her lifelong passion was the care and protection of animals, particularly cats. For years, she tended to colonies of feral cats in the area and supported animal advocacy programs. She fostered domestic rabbits in her home and opened her heart to the occasional dog. Other interests included oil painting, photography, trivia, drama, and humor. She had been a member of Centenary Reformed U.C.C. Church.
Even as Joette’s body betrayed her, her sense of humor, ready laugh, and warm heart endured to the end.
A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, August 23 at 2:00 p.m. at Jones Funeral Home, proceeded by a time of visitation and viewing at 1:00 p.m. Burial will follow in Mount Hebron Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made in Joette’s honor to Shirley’s Angels Animal Rescue, P.O. Box 3462, Winchester, VA 22604.