Sharon Lynn Bailey

Sharon Lynn Bailey, age 73, passed away Friday, April 9, 2021 at The Medical University of Charleston, SC, following an illness.

A long-time resident of Clear Creek, WV, Sharon was the wife of Samuel W. Bailey and the oldest daughter of the late Josephine Toney Fraley and Dariel Paul Fraley. At the time of her passing, Sharon was a resident of Honea Path, SC—but she always considered West Virginia to be her true home. 

To sum up Sharon’s life in a few paragraphs is impossible. She was a woman beyond words—an adoring wife, a devoted mother, a proud grandmother, a loving sister, and a loyal friend… But also, a lover of adventures, community activist, and faithful Christian. She raised her kids and grandkids in Clear Creek Presbyterian Church and later attended Workmans Creek Church with her husband.

Formerly a teacher’s aide at Beaver Elementary School and Clear Fork District Elementary School, Sharon was nurturing, supportive, and dedicated to the success and happiness of her students.

The same passion that made Sharon such a joy to her family and her students also led her to become involved in a number of important community and environmental projects. In the 80s, she headed up a series of protests for improved road conditions in Clear Creek, WV. Working with a team of local women, Sharon led the charge to get Toney’s Fork Road paved and to improve the safety of local bridges. 

The project Sharon was most proud of was the creation of the Clear Creek, WV Community Center. Recognizing that local kids needed a safe, constructive place to spend their free time, Sharon fund raised, organized, and got the Community Center built. Over the years, she spent countless hours running community programs, hosting dances, organizing local events, and bringing the community together. 

While her community involvement is a point of pride for her loved ones, the thing Sharon really loved most in the world was spending time with her family. She was extraordinarily proud of all her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

During her downtime, Sharon loved exploring the mountains near her home, picking berries, going for four-wheeler rides, visiting yard sales and flea markets, canning, baking, and gardening. She also loved traveling to visit her family members in different areas, taking walks on the beach, hunting for seashells, listening to Elvis, dancing to oldies music, talking about history, telling old family stories, reading the Bible, listening to Gospel music, and attending her grandkids’ wide variety of activities and events.

Sharon is preceded in death by her parents, Dariel and Josephine Fraley of Clear Creek, WV; her maternal and paternal grandparents, George and Mary Toney of Toney’s Fork, WV and Robert and Ackie Fraley of Dorothy, WV;  her youngest brother, Paul Randall Fraley of Daytona Beach, FL; and her brother-in-law Randy Reid of Clear Creek, WV. 

Sharon is survived by her loving husband of 54 years, Samuel W. Bailey of Clear Creek, WV and Honea Path, SC; her son Scott Bailey of Honea Path, SC; her daughter Tammy Bailey Dickens and husband Ernie Dickens of Navarre, FL; her sister Juanita Adamson and husband Rick Adamson of West Salem, OH; her sister Kathy Reid of Clear Creek, WV; and her brother Bobby Fraley of Clear Creek, WV.

She was the best Mommaw in the world to her loving grandchildren and their families: Brittany Bailey; Cassidy Dickens and Daniel Hall of Nashville, TN; Samantha Makowsky, Michael Makowsky, and Barbara Bailey of Florida; Jasmine Bailey, CJ Plumley, Bellami Bailey, and Branson Plumley of West Virginia; Carlie Nava and Gerardo Nava of Virginia Beach, VA; Hallie Bailey and Charles Tucker of Hope Mills, NC; and Jesse Dickens of Navarre, FL.

She’s also survived by a host of in-laws, cousins, nieces, nephews, and lifelong friends who she loved dearly. 

The family will celebrate Sharon’s life and receive guests at Ewing Creek Church in Clear Creek, WV on Wednesday, April 14, 2021. Family is invited to visit starting at 5 pm, followed by friends, family, and anyone who would like to pay their respects from 6-9 pm. A funeral service will take place at Ewing Creek Church on Thursday, April 15, 2021 at 12 pm. Services will be followed by a dinner at the church.

More than anything, Sharon’s family will remember her enormous love, her contagious laughter, and her overwhelming joy and zest for life. She truly lived every day to its fullest, spread love everywhere she went, and lit up every room she ever walked into. While it’s difficult to say goodbye to such an incredible woman, we all feel enormously blessed to have had her in our lives. There are no words to describe how deeply Sharon is already missed, but we find comfort in a lifetime of beautiful memories and in the certainty that she’s waiting for us in Heaven.

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