Sanibel Island Icon, Sam Bailey, Has Passed Away

Photo courtesy of http://www.news-press.com

A sad day for Sanibel Island… as the news spreads of the passing of a legend, Mr. Sam Bailey.

Born and raised on Sanibel before there was even a causeway connecting the island to the mainland, Sam Bailey has championed this beautiful area of Florida for more than 70 years!

He and his three brothers all worked at the Old Bailey Store, carrying on the family business that began in 1899.  One of the oldest establishments on the island (and all of Southwest Florida, for that matter), the Old Bailey Store is still in business to this day and is currently located at 2477 Periwinkle Way.

“Sanibel Sam”, as he was known, has a very rich and meaningful story, from his days of playing pro-football for the Boston Yanks in the now-defunct AFL, to his head football coaching and athletic director duties at University of Tampa for 60 years!  His interests in the historical preservation of Sanibel Island’s treasures has transformed the island to what it is today.

Nothing will ever be the same on Sanibel without Sam Bailey.

Services will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2, at the Sanibel Historical Village, 950 Dunlap Road, in tribute to the original location of Old Bailey’s General Store way back in 1899.

A huge wave of gratitude goes out to Sam and the entire Bailey family for their contributions to our personal livelihood today on Sanibel Island…

We hope to see you all at the service to honor and respect this great man…

Thanks for reading and have a very nice weekend,

Sandy and Rob

p.s. Sanibel Beach Homes