Baylies was born August 11, 1922, in Nottoway County Virginia, the eldest daughter of Ethelene Oliver and James Russell Lloyd Fowlkes.  She has one living sibling, a sister, Mozelle (Snooks) Orange of Williamsburg, VA.  Her three other siblings; brothers Kermit Fowlkes and Quintin Fowlkes, Sr., and sister Joyce Hopson traveled ahead of her.

After completing the grades available near her home in Crewe, Virginia, Baylies was sent to Blackstone, Virginia, where she graduated valedictorian of her High School Class in 1940 and went on to attend Virginia State College. Shortly after college, Baylies boarded a train to Washington, DC where she had accepted a job with the U. S. Department of Army.  In January 1946, Baylies married her soul mate, Roy Jefferson Johnson whom she met while he was completing a short course at the college before deploying to the World War II theater, Guam where he served as a surveyor for the construction of landing fields.  They were married in Emporia, Virginia, after the war and immediately departed to Enterprise, Alabama.  There she became, in the tradition of her family, a domestic engineer and seamstress; made countless friends; raised their family; and lived a wonderful blessed life.  Their union brought forth three (3) three children, Roy (Patricia), Russell, and Baylies Lynette.

Beginning in 1955, having training and experience in bookkeeping, Baylies worked side by side with her husband Roy managing the Coffee-Geneva County Teachers Credit Union.  After the death of Roy in 1974, Baylies assumed management of the Credit Union from her home for the next 33 years until its merger in 2008 with the Army Aviation Credit Union.  Her kitchen table was her main desk and her living room was the waiting area. While auditors and examiners marveled at this setup, it was no surprise to the Credit Union’s members.  After retirement, she would reflect (only when asked) on how much she missed her daily trips to the Post Office and the credit union members who came by to “visit.”  In addition to her credit union work, she served as Secretary and Treasurer for Pleasant Grove Baptist Church.

In addition to her children, daughter-in-laws, and surviving sister, Baylies’ calmness, unselfishness, empathic listening and unselfishness, will be treasured by six (6) grandchildren, twelve (12) great grandchildren, 3 great-great grandchildren, and, a host of adopted sons, daughters, grands, and friends.

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