Obituary

Oliver Bailey
(March 18, 1986 - June 26, 2021)

On Saturday, June 26, Oliver Bailey, of Huntington, took his last Harley ride through the back roads of West Virginia and joined his beloved dog, Bruno, on the other side of this life. Born March 18, 1986, to John Bailey, deceased, and Sandy Bailey Snedegar, Oliver is survived by his mother and stepfather, Sandy and Marshall Snedegar; three sisters, who simultaneously worshipped the ground he walked on and pestered him to pieces, Cara, Johnna, and Alisha; a brother-in-law, Thomas; his nephew Bodhi and niece Adorae, the originators of his uniquely Appalachian moniker “Uncle Bubby,”; his maternal grandmother, a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, and many extended family and friends. Ollie, as he was known to many, was a 2004 graduate of Cabell Midland High School. He had a mind for engineering, but knew his fulfillment would come from the joy he found working with friends in a kitchen. He believed kitchen gadgets were a scam and said anything that needed to be done in a kitchen could be done with one really good knife. It was not uncommon for Oliver to enter your kitchen and immediately critique your knife block, which he did out of love. A foundation of the Huntington restaurant scene, Oliver joined his dear friends Drew and Megan Hetzer to build and open Backyard Pizza nearly a decade ago. He did it all as regional manager for Backyard and the Peddler. Recently, he became assistant brewer and sales executive for Peddler Beer. There, he worked side-by-side daily with Jay Fox to create, produce, and distribute Peddler beer around the state. Oliver was the hardest-working man in Huntington, always hustling for his restaurants and to help his friends in business or in daily life. His natural smirk easily gave way to a friendly smile that made everyone feel comfortable around him, and he truly wanted to help people. He was the epitome of a gentle giant – someone who could single-handedly haul a couch up the stairs to your new apartment, would wrestle with your dog, then text his mom that he loved her, which he often did. A celebration of life is scheduled from 4-8 p.m., Tuesday, June 29, 2021, at the Vandalia Crowd House, located above Backyard Pizza on 3rd Avenue. The entrance is in the alley behind the building.