James Lloyd Bailey

James Lloyd Bailey was born to Seymour Edison Bailey and Lillian Alice (Frost) Bailey on March 16, 1938 in Columbus, Ohio. He died of pancreatic cancer on January 27, 2024.

Jim was a graduate of Worthington (Ohio) High School, where he was valedictorian and active in sports and student government. He attended Ohio State University for one year and graduated from Capital University in 1960. Jim married Judith Elaine Eberhard on June 16, 1963. They had met at Capital in 1959. After Jim graduated from Evangelical Lutheran Theological Seminary (now Trinity Seminary at Capital University) in 1964, they traveled to Scotland where Jim completed his Ph.D. in New Testament at St. Mary’s College of University of St. Andrews.

Jim then served as pastor of Hope Lutheran Church in Cincinnati for three years before several years of teaching at Trinity Seminary and Capital University. Moving to Moorhead, Minnesota, he taught for ten years in the religion department at Concordia College.

In 1985, he moved to Dubuque, Iowa to teach New Testament at Wartburg Theological Seminary. While there, Jim served on the first ELCA task force on Human Sexuality. Retiring from full-time teaching in 2003, he was the coordinator for the Lay School of Ministry for the South Central Synod of Wisconsin ELCA. After moving with Judy to Duluth, Minnesota in 2014, he taught courses in the University for Seniors and the NE MN Synod’s Lay Ministry School. His scholarly interest focused on the meaning of the Sermon on the Mount for modern communities.

Jim was active in global ministry and social justice. His nine study tours to the Holy Land, which started with students from Concordia College in 1977, led to a life-long concern for the situation of the Palestinian people. Jim also participated in a tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa and led a student tour to Namibia. He taught in Papua New Guinea and traveled in Australia and New Zealand during a sabbatical year. All of these experiences informed his concern for justice at home and around the globe.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Nancy Bailey Townley; and his brother-in-law, Charles W. Townley. He is survived by his wife, Judy; his sons, Jeffrey Bailey (Ann Moormann), Doug Bowen-Bailey (Holly), Ha Tran (Thoa); and grandchildren, Garret Bailey, Sylvie Bowen-Bailey, Frost Bowen-Bailey, Alaina Bailey, Claire Bailey, Lisa Tran, and Lizzie Tran; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews, and extended family.

A Memorial Service will be at 11:00am on March 16, 2024 with Visitation beginning at 10:00am at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 219 North 6th Ave E, Duluth. Burial will be at St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery in Dubuque in the summer. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Bright Stars of Bethlehem (brightstarsbethlehem.com), Wartburg Theological Seminary (wartburgseminary.edu), Gloria Dei Lutheran congregation (gloriadeiduluth.org), or the charity of your choice. The family is grateful for good medical care at Essentia as well as at St. Mary’s Hospital and Hospice.