Thomas Hilton Bailey, Sr.
Born on December 11, 1935 in Walterboro, South CarolinaPassed on June 18, 2026 in Melbourne, Florida
“The Leader of the Pack.”
“Tom”, or “Tommy”, Bailey was born in rural South Carolina in the mid- 1930s, the son of an often-on-the-road long haul truck driver and his kind-hearted, home-making wife. Tommy was also the eldest brother of five remarkable sons, all of whom often referred to Tommy with admiration and love as “the leader of the pack.”
And he was. After graduating high school (“the fastest man at Rivers High,” both on the track and on the football field), Tommy went off at 19 years of age to fight in Korea. When his father was hospitalized for months with a severe illness, Tommy petitioned one of South Carolina’s U.S. senators for early release from his tour of duty. Tom came home nine months early to help his mother and brothers.
He married his high school sweetheart — Elizabeth “Betty” Eugenia Burk — then studied and graduated from the University of South Carolina courtesy of the G.I. Bill, which he called the greatest thing America ever did for its veterans.
He then went on to a long, successful career with Hunt Wesson Foods, managing operations in Memphis and Chicago.
Tom and Betty were both from Charleston, South Carolina, and lived at various times in Savannah, Georgia; Orange County, California; Germantown, Tennessee; and their retirement paradise, Beaufort, South Carolina.
Tommy was renowned for his gregarious, friendly personality. He wanted to know everyone’s names and their stories, and he never forgot either. He was the glue in an extended family that spanned generations. He was a loving and dedicated father, grandfather and great-grandfather.
He’s survived by his wife Betty, his children, Libby, Thomas and David, 3 granddaughters, 3 great-grandchildren, brothers Jimmy (Gail), Donald (Caroline), Steve (Jenks), his sister-in-law, Martha, brother-in-law, Billy Burk (Judy), and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brother Larry.
