Edward T. Bailes III, 87, passed away peacefully on February 21, 2022. Known to friends and family as Ted, he was one of the few remaining Huntsville natives. Ted was born and raised in Huntsville and graduated from Huntsville High School in 1952. Ted attended Georgia Tech’s School of Industrial Management before returning home to run the family business. His family owned and operated the first laundry business in Huntsville, starting in the late 1800s. In the 1960’s, Ted opened and operated Ultraclean, the first dry cleaning service in Huntsville, AL. After his marriage to Shirley and the merging of their families, he first became a realtor, and then a highly trained real estate tax appraiser, living in Durham, North Carolina and then Dallas, TX during his career. He and his wife, Shirley, retired to Gulf Shores, Alabama before finally returning home to Huntsville in 2013.
Ted was an early adopter of computer technology, owning one of the very first Apple home computers and developing computer programs to further expand opportunities in real estate sales and marketing. Ted taught himself the art of photography and was also an amateur painter, poet and philosopher. Shirley and he raised two beautiful Shih Tzus, enjoyed the Gulf Coast area and collected fine European porcelain throughout their retirement. Ted often served on boards and committees and acted as an ambassador for the communities in which he lived because of his congenial spirit and outgoing nature. He loved to spend time with friends and family which included grandchildren and great grandchildren. His step-children are especially grateful for his generosity and kindly welcoming them into his family.
Ted is survived by his wife of 56 years, Shirley; his sons and daughters-in-law Brent and Susan Beam and Dayn and Diane Beam; his daughters, Tarin Majure and Darling Bailes-Bonjo and her husband, Michael Bonjo. He will be much missed by his grandchildren, Bryn and Brian, Truett, Josh, and Cassady Rose, as well as his three great grandchildren Sam, Ashford, and Hazel.
We will be honoring Ted with a family memorial event in the summer of 2022. Please contact dbonjo@gmail.com for additional information or to send condolences to Shirley.
