Cecille Wilma Lee Baiardo

Cecille Wilma Lee Baiardo, age 100 passed away on Sunday, March 9, 2025. Cecille was born in Newport, Tennessee in 1924 to parents Otis and Lucinda Lee. She and her brother, Carl Clinton Lee rode horses to school in their rural Appalachian town. She grew up on an orchard in the Smoky mountains and spent a lot of time outdoors with animals and learned to garden. She attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville and loved to talk about going to the Grand Old Opry. Her love of animals, gardening and music continued throughout her life.

After college, she worked in Atlanta, GA for a few years and was discovered by a fashion modeling agency. Soon after, she moved to Washington DC where she met her husband, William Anthony Baiardo, while modeling. She modeled in fashion shows in the White House for Harry Truman's first lady, Bess and the wives of congressmen and did many modeling shows and photo shoots all over the east coast. Her husband William had three beautiful daughters, Gail, Gloria and Geraldine. His lovely wife, Eileen, had passed away a few years earlier. Cecille helped William raise the girls and she had 2 more children to add to the family, William Jr. and Gina. Cecille volunteered as a 4-H leader and started a horse and pony club in Southern MD. She and her husband bred racehorses and managed a small horse racing business.

Cecille is survived by her daughters, Gina Hall and Gloria Zeiders, her granddaughters, Alicia Hall, Cari Smith, Kristin Williams, Lisa Foley, Chris Wehrenberg, Kim Novy, and Vicki Thomas along with her grandsons, Christopher Hall, Steve Johnston, Charlie Baiardo and Jevan Little. Cecille has many beautiful great-grandchildren and great great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, William Baiardo, her brother Carl Clinton Lee, stepdaughters Gail Nelson and Geraldine Jones, and her son William Baiardo Jr.

A private funeral service and interment will be held. A celebration of her life for friends to attend will be held at a later date.