Leon Bailey, worked at St. Mary’s, old ties here

H. Leon Bailey III of South Salem, N.Y., who had old ties to Ridgefield and worked at St. Mary’s Church, died suddenly on Friday, Oct. 18. He was 61.
A longtime South Salem resident, Mr. Bailey was born Aug. 1, 1941 in New York City, the son of Harry Leon Bailey Jr. and Alice Burke Bailey. He grew up on the Upper East Side in Manhattan.
Growing up, Leon Bailey, his sister Edith and their parents were weekenders in South Salem. Their father, Harry Leon Bailey Jr., was born in Ridgefield. The Baileys have lived in South Salem and Ridgefield for close to two centuries.
Besides having his own business, Mr. Bailey worked for many years at St. Mary’s Church here. In recent years, he worked for the Highway Department in the Town of Lewisboro. He was the president of the Lewisboro Civil Service Employees Association.
Mr. Bailey was a decorated member of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 72, Norwalk. During his time with the auxiliary he held many positions including crewman, vice commander, commander, and finally coxswain. He, along with five other members of the flotilla, received the Coast Guard Group Action Award for search and rescue in Norwalk Harbor for retrieving a man injured in a boat accident.
Affectionately known as “the nice guy,” “Captain Ace,” and “Poppy,” Mr. Bailey was well known in Lewisboro, Ridgefield and surrounding areas. He always had a smile, joke or words of encouragement for those he met on his daily routines, according to his family.
His “one-day-at-a-time” approach and his steadfast faith should be a lesson to us all, said his family. “The loss of Leon has left a hole in the very fabric of our town and our family,” said his daughter, Theresa.
Mr. Bailey’s survivors include his wife of 39 years, Virginia Gillette Bailey of South Salem; three daughters, Theresa Bailey Weir of New Fairfield, Mary Bailey King of Wingdale, N.Y., and Veronica Bailey of Ridgefield; two grandchildren, Mitchell James McGarry and Samantha Lee King, with one grandchild on the way, all of Wingdale; and a sister, Edith Calderelli of Medford, N.Y.
A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Wednesday at St. Mary’s Church, Ridgefield. Burial followed in the South Salem Cemetery.