By McKenzie Cassidy
The community of Sanibel turned out by the hundreds for the
Francis Bailey Celebration of Life on Sunday.
Bailey, one of the founding fathers of Sanibel, passed
away on June 8 and his family organized a community celebration at the Bailey
Homestead on Sunday so members of the community could pay their respects. Tents
were set up on the grounds as well as hay bales for guests to sit on, and the
family addressed the crowd from the main deck.
“While this could be a sad day, we don’t want it to be,”
said Richard Johnson, Bailey’s son-in-law and general manager of Bailey’s
General store. Johnson commented on Sunday’s weather, sunny and hot by saying
Bailey would’ve won long sleeves and been very comfortable. “This is exactly
what Francis would want.”
Porter Goss, former mayor of Sanibel who went on to serve
as a U.S. congressman, and then director of the Central Intelligence Agency in
2004, said a few words about his old friend.
“Everybody loved Francis and Francis loved Sanibel,” said
Goss. “Francis loved to show off Sanibel, even to get a Yankee like me and show
me something good.”
Goss reminisced about times when Bailey would call him
late at night to meet and catch the blooming of a rare flower or see something
in Sanibel’s natural environment to show off. The two met in the late 1960’s,
he said, and worked together for a lot of projects including the incorporation
of Sanibel.
“He was certainly the go-to guy for any cause that came
along,” said Goss, who also was part of the group that founded The Island
Reporter.
Sanibel Councilmember Marty Harrity also discussed Bailey’s
involvement in the community. He said Bailey’s accomplished so much for Sanibel
like the establishment of the city government, the comprehensive land plan, the
vegetation committee, the historical committee, and the city’s energy plan.
Harrity said that Bailey’s motto was “You must always do
what’s best for our island.”
It was no coincidence that Bailey’s celebration was
planned for Father’s Day because many island residents consider him the father
of Sanibel.
“Since today is Father’s Day and we already have a mother
of Sanibel, I would be very comfortable having Francis as the Father of
Sanibel,” said Goss.
Members of the Bailey family also shared stories about
their father’s life on the island, including Susan Bailey who wished him a
happy Father’s Day.
“Happy Father’s Day, dad, and we all love you,” she said.
Johnson said Bailey’s General Store will continue to
serve the community and evolve. He said one of the things Francis taught him
was to make sure he always made himself part of the community.
Bailey’s grandchildren remembered him at the end of the
celebration by reading some of his catchphrases, such as “Holy Catfish,” “We
are off like a heard of turtles,” or “Ready like a radio.”
Island Reporter (June 19, 2013)
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