Genett L. "Tootsie" (Bailey) Ison

Genett L. “Tootsie” Ison, 83, of Lexington, passed away August 26, 2023, due to complications from cancer. Genett was born November 26, 1939, at Keaton in Johnson County, Kentucky. After graduating from Flat Gap High School, she moved to Lexington where she worked at IBM for 30 years until her retirement in 1998. Genett was a faithful member of Fayette Chapel United Baptist Church in Paris, Kentucky.

Genett married Bill Spencer Ison in 1961 and they had two children, Jerry Denver and Deana Mae. Genett was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother and she dedicated her entire life to her children and grandchildren. With her warm heart and welcoming spirit, she created a home where her children’s friends also felt welcome, special, and loved.

Genett was preceded in death by her husband Bill, her son, Jerry, as well as her parents, Erie Malinda and the Elder J. T. “Tommy” Bailey; two sisters, Jewell Evelyn LeMaster and Edna Hildreth Cox; two brothers, Andrew Lowell Bailey and James Holman Bailey; two nieces, Malinda Cox Murray and Cheryl Bailey Day; and four nephews, Billy J. Brown, Ernest Brown, Jimmy Cox, and Lowell Allen LeMaster.

Surviving family members include her daughter Deana and her husband, a very special son-in-law, Blair Dawson; three grandchildren, David Wayne Redwine Jr., Jared Spencer Ison and Morgan Celeste Dawson; one sister, Willadene B. Skaggs; one brother, Thomas Lurray Bailey, and a host of nephews, nieces, and lifelong friends.

The funeral will be held on Saturday, September 2 at 11 a.m. by the Elder C. J. Murray. Friends may call Friday, September 1 from 3 – 8 p.m., and prior to the service from 10 – 11 a.m. on Saturday, all at Kerr Brothers Funeral Home, Main Street. Immediately following the service, Genett will be taken to the Ison Family Cemetery at Crockett in Morgan County, Kentucky and laid to rest next to her beloved husband and son.  Potter Funeral Home in charge of local arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Bluegrass Care Navigators who took such loving care of Genett in her final days; St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital whose mission touched Genett’s heart, or Fayette Chapel United Baptist Church which fed her soul.

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