- Date Of Death: July 28, 2018
- State: Florida
Lefter Sr. , J. BairdA native of St. Petersburg, FL passed away July 24, 2018 after a brief battle with cancer at the age of 71. He will be deeply missed by his wife Joni, his son J. Baird Lefter Jr., grandchildren Lily and May Lefter, stepson Bo Archibald IV and his sons Bowman and Garrett Archibald, stepdaughter Kim Phillips and her daughter Maddie Belinc, and many beloved cousins.Baird graduated from St. Petersburg High School in 1964. He graduated from Emory University in 1968 with a B.S. in Business Administration. He was awarded an MBA from the University of West Florida in 1971. In 1976 he received his J.D. with Honors from the University of Florida Law School where he was a member of Law Review and Moot Court. In 1977, he received an LL.M. in Taxation from New York 1969 to 1973, he proudly served in the U.S. Navy as a Naval flight officer and Naval legal officer.Baird started his legal career with Carlton Fields in Tampa in 1977. In 1979 he moved to Fisher and Wilsey in St. Petersburg where he practiced until 1983 before moving to Jacobs, Robins, and Gaynor. In 1986, he started his own firm Lefter, Cushman, Wilkinson and Sadorf. He was an Associate Professor at Stetson University College of Law from 1978-1979.Baird will be remembered as a warm, giving, kind, and fun-loving gentleman. Baird was known for his generous nature and happily helped many with their legal questions. He was always smiling and was quick to laugh. He never met anyone he didn’t like, and there was never anyone who didn’t like him in return. He especially enjoyed history and politics, old maps, dogs, wooden boats, the water, the outdoors, and was actually in the process of restoring his 1957 Morgan. All of his family and friends will humorously remember his devotion to Fox encourage all of his friends and family to meet at Pioneer Park, which is on the southeast corner of Central Avenue and Beach Drive SE, on Saturday, August 4 at 2:45 p.m. A reception to celebrate his life will follow across the street at the St. Petersburg Yacht Club from 3 to 5 p.m.
