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Forever
Sweethearts Memorial
We would like to honor one of
our favorite sweethearts with this page. Sam and Lavonia
Bajalia who just happen to be the father and mother of my best
friend and partner of this site. They celebrated their 50th
Anniversary on December 11,2004. My partner and I made a
special DVD featuring pictures and music that they loved from
the fifties to present day. We presented this at their 50th
Anniversary Party on December 11, 2004. I also wrote a song
for them that was set to the music of "Oh Donna" by Ritchie
Valens which we sang for them. You can find and read
the words by clicking
here . The
Party was a huge success. Mr. Bajalia said it was the best
party he had ever attended. My friend and partner, Suzie and
her two brothers Sammy, Jr., and Mike did a great job in the
planning and execution of events.
Mr. Sam
Bajalia passed away February 7, 2005 on his
birthday. He
was so very well liked by all who came across his path.
He battled diabetes and eventually lost both of his
legs. He never let his illnesses stop him. His
love of people and his love for his family kept him
going. He got artificial legs, a scooter, and hand gears
for his car and continued to live his life to the
fullest.
This page is to honor Sam, his loving wife,
Lavonia, and their loving family. Please look over the
pictures and memories on this page of a loving father,
husband, grandfather, great-grandfather, and loyal friend to
so many. If you would like to send a free card you may do so
here. If you wish to send a
greeting to the family you may send it to
us and we will forward it
to the family.
Thank you and
may God bless you all,
Dennis Brooks
When they first got married
50 years later and still in
love
Sam's Birthday 2004
Lee High School, approx.
1953
Dating,
1954
 
Suzie's
Family
Sam, Jr.'s Family
Michael's
Family
 
Sam had spent 53
days in the hospital. The family was told that he would
never leave.
The many prayers of friends and family and his
strong determination to get well enough to go home to his
family pulled him through. He came home on Christmas Day,
2002.
Sam & Lavonia
with Sam's brothers and sisters, Vicky, Joe, Helen, Lila, Ed
Sam was thrilled
to celebrate his 50th anniversary with Lavonia. He had a
wonderful time.
He was always his happiest when he was with
his family.
Sam sent his
grandchildren to the Super Bowl on Feb. 6, 2005. He was
so happy to see them off. He saw them all when they got home to share
the excitement and then passed away in his
sleep which was on his birthday, Feb. 7, 2005.
This article was
published in the Florida Times Union on Feb. 16,
2005
Restaurants'
owner Sam Bajalia dies at 69
He had a career as "Mr.
Convenience Store" before opening seafood
eateries.
By SANDY STRICKLAND
Staff writer
After a successful career with Sav-A-Stop in
which he became known as "Mr. Convenience
Store," Sam Bajalia opened several Westside area
seafood restaurants with his sons.
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Bajalia
| And even after
losing his legs to diabetes, he remained active
in the business by driving a hand-operated car
and a scooter.
"He loved life more than
anything," said his son, Mike Bajalia, adding
that his father knew how to live even as he was
dying.
He lived two years beyond
doctors' expectations, dying on his 69th
birthday Feb. 7 after a long battle with colon
cancer and diabetes. The former Westside
resident had moved to Orange Park 15 years ago.
Born in New Haven, Conn.,
Mr. Bajalia moved to Jacksonville in 1945. He
lettered in football and basketball at Robert E.
Lee High School and followed his brothers and
sisters into the grocery and food service
business. When his older brother went off to
fight in the Korean War, Mr. Bajalia left school
to run his Saveway Banner Store on Stockton
Street.
It was there that he met
representatives of Sav-A-Stop, an Orange
Park-based company that distributed non-food
items to grocery and convenience stores
nationwide. He started in the warehouse and
retired 32 years later as vice president in
charge of convenience stores.
Mike Bajalia said his
father became known across the country as "Mr.
Convenience Store" because he was the contact
person. He also had his own consulting business.
"He had a charisma about
him," Mike Bajalia said. "You could meet him in
an airport while waiting for a plane and chat
with him about your job and family. If you
bumped into him five years later, he would
remember you and treat you like a long-lost
friend."
Several years before his
father's retirement, Mike Bajalia said he and
his father co-founded Sam's St. Johns Seafood
restaurants at Normandy Boulevard and Park
Avenue in Orange Park, as well as three Ocala
locations. Mr. Bajalia also opened Crystal River
Seafood on Blanding Boulevard with his son Mike
and other son, Sam Jr.
Although he appreciated
good food, his father's forte was the business
-- not the cooking end -- of the operation, Mike
Bajalia said.
"I joked with him that he
was so smart that he probably was the only
person that could be successful in the
restaurant business and not cook," his son said.
When he lost his legs to
diabetes in his 60s, Mr. Bajalia learned to
drive a car with hand gears and continued going
to his restaurants, having lunch at one and
dinner at the other.
Four years ago, he was
diagnosed with colon cancer and faced a series
of health crises. Despite his problems, he was
an inspiration to others, said his daughter,
Suzie Fellows. When his daughter-in-law, Amy,
gave birth to her last baby via Caesarian
section, she found it difficult to get out of
her hospital bed and walk, Fellows said.
Then she saw Mr. Bajalia,
baby gift in hand, riding his scooter down
Baptist Medical Center's corridors. When she
asked what inspired him to make the effort, he
told her he looked into the eyes of his loved
ones and it "stuffs away" his pain.
Mr. Bajalia, a sports
fan, died in his sleep after sending his five
oldest grandchildren to the Super Bowl and then
welcoming them back from the game.
He was a member of Mary
Queen of Heaven Catholic Church in Chimney Lakes
and was active in YMCA sports.
In addition to his sons
and daughter who live in Clay County, survivors
include his wife of 50 years, Lavonia Bajalia;
two brothers, Audi "Ed" and Joe Bajalia of
Jacksonville; and three sisters, Helen Dudum of
San Francisco and Lila Rukab and Vickie Samaan
of Jacksonville. He also had eight grandchildren
and four great-grandchildren.
sandy.strickland jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4128
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Another article that ran in the community sections of
the Florida Times Union Feb.16, 2005
Restaurateur lived life
with ideas and
energy
By MARY MARAGHY
Clay County Line
A funeral was held Friday for Sam
Bajalia, a prominent businessman of Orange Park who died
in his sleep Feb. 7, his 69th birthday.
Family members called Mr. Bajalia a
man of ideas and energy despite medical setbacks. He was
a double amputee who suffered from diabetes, cancers of
the colon and liver, and heart and kidney
disease.
"He's been going strong for a long
time on borrowed time," said his youngest son, Mike
Bajalia, of Green Cove Springs. "He was larger than
life. If you met him, you felt like you'd known him
forever. He had a logic that was very unique and that's
what set him apart."
Born in Connecticut into a family
from Ramallah, near Jerusalem in the Middle East, Mr.
Bajalia moved in 1945 to Jacksonville, where he became
an all-star Lee High School athlete and later a
well-known restaurateur.
He owned and operated, with his
sons, Sam's St. John's Seafood and Steaks and Crystal
River Seafood restaurants in Florida, Georgia and
Alabama. He was a former vice president of Sav-A-Stop
Corp. and active with the YMCA and Mary Queen of Heaven
Catholic Church in Argyle.
"He was the best granddad in the
world. He absolutely loved his family and he'd do
anything in the world for any of us," said granddaughter
Kristen Bajalia, 20, of Green Cove Springs. "He was
happiest when he was with his family."
Survivors include his wife of 50
years, Lavonia Bajalia; sons Mike and Sam Jr.; daughter,
Suzie Fellows; brothers, Ed and Joe; sisters Helen
Dudum, Lila Rukab and Vickie Samaan; eight
grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and numerous
nieces and nephews.
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Obituary Published in the Florida Times Union Feb. 9,
2005
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| Sam George
Bajalia |
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BAJALIA Sam George
Bajalia, age 69, passed away Monday, February 7,
2005 on his birthday. He was born in New Haven, CT
and moved to Jacksonville in 1945. He was an
all-star athlete at Lee High School and became a
well-known Jacksonville business man. He was a
member of Mary Queen of Heaven Catholic Church in
Argyle. He owned and operated, with his sons,
Sam's St. John's Seafood and Crystal River
Seafood. Mr. Bajalia was retired vice president of
Sav-A-Stop Corporation, had a strong relationship
with the National Association of Convenient
Stores, associated with the Sara Lee Corporation
and active in YMCA activities. Survivors include
his wife of 50 years, Lavonia Bajalia; 2 sons,
Mike Bajalia (wife, Martina) & Sam Bajalia,
Jr. (wife, Amy); 1 daughter, Suzie Fellows
(husband, Dan); 2 brothers, Audi "Ed" (wife, Anne)
& Joe Bajalia (wife, Joan); 3 sisters, Helen
Dudum, Lila Rukab (husband, Maurice); Vickie
Samaan (husband, Azmi) and numerous nieces &
nephews. Mr. Bajalia was blessed wit h 8
grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. Funeral
mass will be 11 AM Friday, February 11, 2005 at
St. Catherine's Catholic Church, 1649 Kingsley
Ave. with Father Caesar Russo officiating.
Interment will follow in Jacksonville Memory
Gardens. The family will receive friends from 6-7
PM Thursday evening at HARDAGE-GIDDENS FUNERAL
HOME, 729 S. Edgewood Ave. Vigil prayer services
will be at 7 PM Thursday following the visitation.
Donations in honor of Sam may be made to Mary,
Queen of Heaven Catholic Church, 9401 Staples Mill
Dr., Jax., FL 32244-6336. Please Sign the
Guestbook @ Jacksonville.com
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This is the song we sang at their 50th Anniversary Party to
the tune of "Oh Donna"
This picture
was drawn by Suzie Alberti Blackwood many years ago.
She grew up across the street from Sam and she went to high school with
Sam and Lavonia.
She has given us permission to use it on our website.
You can see it again on our poem page with the poem
"Sweet Embrace,"
which we
wrote to go with the drawing.
 
© COPYRIGHT 2004 ALL
RIGHTS RESERVED DENSU INTERNET PUBLISHING, INC.
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