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Larry Eugene Bailey
Larry Eugene Bailey
West Branch
Larry Eugene Bailey, 86, of West Branch, passed away on February 6, 2026, at home, with Peggy by his side. A Memorial Gathering will be held from 1-3 PM, Friday, February 13, 2026, at The Kirkwood Room, 515 Kirkwood Avenue, Iowa City. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to West Branch Fire Department.
Larry was born September 21, 1939, in Burlington, Iowa, to Vera and Forrest Bailey, and passed away February 6, 2026, at home with his wife, Peggy Lynn Freitag, by his side. He earned a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Iowa, worked on the railroad to put himself through college, and began his career at Wyandotte Chemical in Detroit, where he and Peggy welcomed their children, Eric and Kari. Returning to Iowa, Larry helped build Sheller-Globe’s urethane foam division and later co-founded Purathane, where his son Eric worked alongside him, followed by Verest Manufacturing. He traveled extensively for work, including Germany, Japan, Italy, England, and France, and treasured a lifelong pen-pal friendship with Tomanori Matsuda of Japan. Larry is survived by his wife Peggy; daughter Kari Freitag (Steve); daughter-in-law Machelle, wife of his late son Eric; three grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and four nephews.
Online condolences may be left for the family at www.lensingfuneral.com.
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