“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” – Luke 1:45

Julia Bailey, 96, of Columbus, GA, known by her loved ones as ‘Nana’, passed away peacefully at Columbus Hospice on August 15, 2026.

Julia graduated in 1948 from Handley High School in her hometown of Roanoke, AL. Her curious and resourceful nature led her to explore sewing in these teen years, crafting many of her stylish high school looks by hand.

While in college, Julia met Reginald Tidwell, and they married in 1950. Julia received her bachelor’s degree from Birmingham Southern College, and both her master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Romance Languages from the University of Alabama. She had a zest for life that led her to visit many countries, form lasting friendships around the world, and become fluent in French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Julia flourished in her career as a college language professor and chairman of the Humanities Division at Stillman College.

In 1958, Julia and Reginald welcomed their beloved daughter, Alice (Tidwell) Ehrhart, raising her in Tuscaloosa. Julia and Reg had a passion for hosting and opened their home to neighbors, international students, family, and friends who became family; no one hosted a dinner party like these two!

Their family lived in Tuscaloosa until the early passing of Reg in 1980. At this time, Julia moved to Atlanta and then to Columbus in 1999 to be closer to Alice and her family. Alice and Julia were thrilled to live in the same city again. The mother-daughter duo had the best times together, including visits to see friends in France and Ireland, sharing weekly lunches and dinners, and countless Ehrhart family vacations to the beach.

After moving to Columbus, Julia reconnected with her high school sweetheart, Johnny Bailey. They quickly became inseparable, marrying in 2003. The pair traveled the world together but were just as content walking the quaint beaches of Jekyll Island as they were zip lining in Costa Rica. Together, they fit an entire lifetime’s worth of memories into 23 years. Being in their presence was like something out of a movie. One could feel Julia and Johnny’s love bouncing off every surface in the room. They took such wonderful care of one another as the years went on, setting an example for any young couple to aspire to.

Just as she was with her daughter, Julia was instrumental in her grandchildren’s lives. Taylor and Sarah spent their afternoons and weekends at Nana’s house growing up, crafting together, watching movies, playing games, and enjoying a Julia classic: the homemade Oreo milkshake. The most devoted grandmother, she rarely missed a choir performance or a big soccer game. As Taylor and Sarah grew older, Julia remained deeply involved in their lives, and eventually in the lives of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Julia was also an active member of her and John’s home church, First Presbyterian. The community within the church provided her such joy. She served as a Deacon for several years and as an active member of a loving Sunday School class there. The music at First Presbyterian brought Julia tremendous joy, and you could always find her in the pews on Sundays.

Julia is survived by her sister, Marceline; daughters, Alice and Megan; grandchildren, Taylor (Lauren), Sarah, Cassie, and her great-grandchildren Bennett, Annistyn, Benford, and Franklin.

We welcome all to attend a celebration of Julia’s life at First Presbyterian Church on Saturday, October 24^th at 1:00pm.

Georgia Cremation-Columbus is assisting the family with the arrangements.