Former WEIS Radio Webmaster John Bailey III, Passes Away

John-Bailey

Information Provided By The Coosa Valley News|

Former longtime WEIS Radio Webmaster John Bailey III has died.

Bailey along with WEIS Radio General Manager Jerry Baker, Assistant General Manager Shelia Richardson and Thom Holt helped to launch the original WEIS Radio website weis990am.com in the late 1990’s.

John Edson Bailey III John Edson Bailey III, 69, passed away on May 29, 2016 after a battle with melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer. According to the American Academy of Dermatology it is estimated that 10,130 people will die from melanoma in 2016. He was otherwise healthy and had many years left to cheer on soccer and baseball games — but on Sunday he became a part of that statistic.

If caught early, melanoma is highly preventable. Get yourself checked. He’d want you to know that. He was the son of John Bailey II and Dorothy Bailey. He was born and raised in Ohio and graduated from Ohio State University.

Military service included time as a captain in the U.S. Army in the 318th Army Security Agency Battalion as well as other posts and he received his Ph.D from Nova University in Florida in Psychology. He moved to Floyd County in order to found Rome Lower School and headed up a number of information technology-based and real estate businesses.

Survivors include three children, Alicia Bailey, John Bailey IV and his wife, Sally Hagge-Bailey, and Ashlee Bailey; as well as three grandchildren, Eva Bailey, Alexander Bailey and Griffin Bailey.

A gathering of family and friends will be held Thursday from 5-7 p.m. at Daniel’s Funeral Home, 901 E. Second Ave. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Special Olympics.

Editors Note by Tony Potts:

In 2006, Coosa Valley News Co-founders, John Bailey III and Thom Holt, came to me and discussed a new way to share news around northwest Georgia.  A lot of our readers know that our site actually evolved from K-98 radio’s website. However, after Georgia Public Broadcasting purchased the radio station, the website sat dormant.

After sitting down with John and Thom and discussing the possibilities, they hired me to run CVN two days later.  Since 2006 I have gotten to know John, not only on a business level, but a very personal one. A lot of folks did not know that in late 1990’s John created the data base for what would become CVN, this was at a time when websites were rarely used. John was truly ahead of his time and revolutionary.  Until last year when we changed the design, John was always the “man behind the curtain”.  I know for John it was hard to see us switch designs, but he was proud of where we were heading.  Anytime there was a problem on CVN all I had to do is make a telephone call and within minutes it was fixed.  The man was a genius.

I have sat in John’s office talking not only website news, but life.  John loved his children very much. He loved each and every second of life.   We sat and argued over sports thousands of times. His love for Ohio State and passion to crack on Georgia, my political choices, taste in women, was always in fun spirits.  I have never seen a man hunger for the affection of others as John did.  However, those who knew him, knew he was also the most stubborn in that process. It was hard to get to know John, but when you did, you knew he only meant for the best of everyone.

He was there for me in a very rough time in my life. He sat and we talked for hours while I was on the clock, never even thinking about how he was paying me to listen to me cry and whine about life.  He took the time, because he knew I needed it.

I will miss our talks about sports, life, women, money and the future of our economy.  I will carry our friendship with me until my last breath.

I thank him for everything he has done for me, both professionally and personally.

My prayer is that God comforted him in his last days, as well his family from this day on.

Thanks for everything boss.

With love,

Tony Potts

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