Rosemary Gillum Bailey

Rosemary Gillum Bailey, age 93, of Nazareth, KY, formerly of the Valley Hill Community of Washington County, passed away Saturday, March 23, 2024 at Baptist Health in Louisville.

An independent artist and writer/photographer formerly of Louisville, she was a longtime promoter of Kentucky tourism. She was founder/publisher of the award-winning Pineapple Press newsletter for the City of Frankfort and later along the Bardstown Road business corridor.

After retirement, Rosemary was resident-proprietor of historic Valley Hill Store, near Springfield for 14 years, where she sold antiques and promoted regional artists, photographers and potters.

Born June 10, 1930 to Raymond and Ida Dobbs Gillum at Catlettsburg, KY, she grew up in West Virginia, until her family returned to Kentucky, where she became a 1949 graduate of J.M. Atherton High School for Girls. There, and as an adult at U of L School of Art, she studied with artist Lucy Diecks. Rosemary was a winner of county-wide Botto Art Award for versatility in art. In the 70’s, she studied painting and textile design at Galveston Island Art Center, Texas.

Preceding her in death was a son, Kevin Scott Bailey on March 4, 2020 and an only sister, Diane Gillum Boulle’ Bush, had passed away in Virginia in 2007.

Survivors include a son, Mark Bradford Bailey and wife, Melody Johnson Bailey; three grandsons, Ryan Thomas Bailey, Ian Gillum Bailey and Sam Moesser Bailey; a niece, Pamela Boulle’ Gunter of Rowlett, Texas and a cousin, Roger Gillum of Salyersville, KY.

Bailey began a long communications career stringing local news for The Voice of St. Matthews, then as P.R. assistant at Brown-Forman Distillers, before becoming staff photographer/editorial assistant at Louisville Magazine.  She worked as P.R. assistant writer/photographer for AAA-Kentucky’s Louisville Auto Club, as public relations director/radio hostess for the City of Frankfort, and P.R. director/media coordinator for four Kentucky Derby Festivals, including the Bicentennial and Silver Anniversary years.

Four four years, she published The Pineapple Press in Louisville’s Bardstown Road, and developed the continuing Bardstown Road-Aglow! an annual pre-holiday merchants’ celebration.

Bailey had been a charter member of Moorland Garden Club and Falls of the Ohio chapter of Questers International antiques-study organization; an associate of the Louisville Real Estate Board, member of the Advertising Club of Louisville, International Association of Business Communications (IABA), Ad Club of Louisville, Frankfort Arts Foundation, and Lebanon Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, She had been named to the Public Relations Society of America, Kentucky Governor’s Commission of Tourism, Order of the Kentucky Colonels and the Citizens Advisory Council of Kentucky State University.

After retirement , she opened historic Valley Hill Store of the Grundy Plantation, where she sold antiques and created The Poet’s Supper, a central-Kentucky writing group. She loved people, cats, knitting, painting and seeking knowledge through books.

A memorial service will be held later.

Carey & Son Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

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