Ruthan Cobb Bailey Mullan

Ruthan Cobb Bailey Mullan, age 85, passed away Tuesday evening, April 14, 2026 at the Azalea Commons Assisted Living in Batesville, Mississippi.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Friday, April 17, 2026 in the Martin Willingham Memorial Chapel of Wells Funeral Home with the family receiving friends one hour prior to the service. Ruthan will be laid to rest at Wallerville Cemetery in New Albany, Mississippi.

Ruthan was born on June 27, 1940 to the late Pender Quitman Cobb and Ruby Marie Bullock Cobb in Union County, Mississippi. She took great pride in her role as a homemaker and as a pastor's wife, dedicating herself tirelessly to the support and nurturing of her family and church community. Alongside these responsibilities, Ruthan was also a licensed cosmetologist, offering her skill and stylish touch mainly to the hair of her family.

Ruthan's talent extended to music; she began playing the piano at a young age and ultimately became the esteemed church pianist. She was also an excellent baker, creating and baking cakes that brought warmth and sweetness to many gatherings.

Ruthan is lovingly survived by her son, Bryan Bailey (and his wife, Sarah) of Pope, MS; two daughters, Bonnie Gilbert of Hernando, MS, and Belinda Ann Hall (and her husband, Truett) of Prentiss, MS; and two siblings, Paul Cobb of Aurora, IL, and Kay Messer (and her husband, Charles) of Saltillo, MS. Ruthan's legacy also lives on in her grandchildren: James Robert Bailey, Bryan Andrew “Andy” Bailey, Jennifer Lockhart, Ross Hall, Anthony Todd Chambliss, Melanie Ann Chambliss, J.T. Chambliss, Ruthan Lanette Gilbert, and Billy Lee Extine, as well as in her 25 great-grandchildren, who will carry forward the memory of her gentle spirit and strong faith.

Along with her beloved parents, she was preceded in death by her first husband, James Lee Bailey; her second husband, Allen M. Mullan; her cherished daughter, Barbara Gail Newton; and her siblings Quitman Cobb, Bobby Cobb, Liz Johnson, and Marie Dodd.