Annie Mae Oswald Gimbel Bailey

March 28, 2016

Annie Mae “Sue” Oswald Gimbel Bailey, age 90, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Monday night, March 21, 2016, at Kershaw Health Hospital in Camden, SC. To most of her family and friends, she was known as Sue. She was a long-time member of Olive Baptist Church in Pensacola.

She was born on September 21, 1925, to C. Bonnie Oswald and Sallie Mae Bodiford Oswald in Frisco City, Alabama. When she was 12, the family moved to Pensacola. She accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior as a young teenage girl. She completed her education at Tate High School and went to work at Biggs Sporting Goods in downtown Pensacola. Working at Biggs is where she was given the nickname, “Sue.” One of the ladies who worked there said, “You don’t look like an Annie Mae. You look like a Sue.” She attended First Baptist Church of Pensacola. There on the steps of the church one Sunday morning, she noticed a young Naval officer dressed up in his white Navy uniform. She later saw him at Biggs and helped him pick out some golf clubs. Before long, they were dating. She married that young Naval officer, Lt. Robert Henry Gimbel, on September 28, 1946. Life took them to the Panama Canal Zone; Philadelphia, PA; Patuxent River, MD; Anderson, SC; Jacksonville, FL; and Pensacola, FL. In 1967, after years of being away from Pensacola, Sue, Rob, and family settled back in Pensacola. However, on December 20, 1976, Sue became a widow when Rob passed away.

She was a loving mother and cared very deeply about her children. She always wanted what was best for them. As spouses to her children became a part of the family, she welcomed them as her own.

She relished her role as Grandma Sue to her six grandchildren. She always had time to rock them and sing “Love Lifted Me.” She spoiled them, and they loved it! As years passed, she became a Great Grandma, and she cherished the time she spent with her great-grandchildren. Birthdays and Christmas were always special times for her to be with her family, and she showed how much she loved them by making fried chicken and her specialty at Christmas—fruit cake.

She was the oldest of nine children. She loved each one of them and their families. She and her sister, Burnis, were inseparable growing up. She always looked out for her younger brothers and sisters, Earl, Frances, Geraldine, Bob, Roland, Helen and Linda. She had plenty of love to go around for each of them.

Later in life, she started attending her high school class luncheons. There she saw a former classmate who took an interest in her. She married Grover Jackson Bailey, Sr. on July 15, 2000. They enjoyed their life together doing some traveling and spending time in Baldwin County at their ranch house. After Grover’s death on June 9, 2014, Sue moved to Lugoff, SC, in May 2015, to live with her daughter, Gayle.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her first husband, CDR Robert Henry Gimbel; her second husband, Grover Jackson Bailey, Sr., her sister, Geraldine Fillingim; her brother, Bob Oswald; brothers-in-law, Anthony Fillingim, Norman Crawford, Edward Viita, and Julian Godwin.

Sue is survived by: her sons, Charles (Kathy) Gimbel, and Fred (CJ) Gimbel; and daughter, Gayle (Trey) Gilstrap; grandchildren, Julie (Derek) Paden, Tiffany Gimbel, Stacy (Phil) Vidal, Laurie (John) O’Brien, Tyler (Marissa) Gilstrap, and Justin (Lindsey Marshall) Gilstrap; great-grandchildren, Richie Paden and Luke Vidal; step-children, Grover (Pam) Bailey, Jr. and Brenda (Mike) Seymour; step-grandchildren, Michael (Samantha) Seymour, Christopher (Jaime) Seymour, Stephanie (Grey) Burge, Allison (Lang) Tarrant, Jaclyn (Richard) Hines, and Jackson Bailey; and numerous step-great-grandchildren; siblings, Burnis Godwin, Earl Oswald, Frances Crawford, Roland (Terry) Oswald, Helen (Don) Jordan, and Linda Viita.

The family of Mrs. Annie “Sue” Bailey would like to express their appreciation to the doctors, nurses, and staff at Kershaw Health Hospital for their diligent care of our mother.

Visitation will be held from 5 p.m. until 6 p.m. for family on Tuesday, March 29, 2016, at Faith Chapel Funeral Home South and from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. for friends.

Funeral services will be held Wednesday, March 30, 2016, at 10 a.m., with Dr. Jerry Passmore officiating, at Faith Chapel Funeral Home South.

Burial will be at Barrancas National Cemetery, NAS Pensacola, at 11:45 am.

Pallbearers will be Tyler Gilstrap, Justin Gilstrap, Derek Paden, John O’Brien, Phil Vidal, and Steve Godwin.

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Written by Jane · Filed Under Obituaries