Rosalee Barclay Johnson

Rosalee Barclay Johnson 3/1/21-10/26/03 In November 1946, Rosalee and Barney Barclay opened Barney?s Motorcycle Sales in Bloomington, IL. With $500, they would start a company that would grow to 50 times its size by 2003. In 1951 the business located the original Indian Motorcycle dealership in St. Petersburg, FL across from Derby Lane. The dealership today has several different franchises with two stores and has over 100 employees/ Rosalee continued to work at the dealership even though she retired in 1973. Barney died in 1970, and Barbara, one of the daughters, died in 1998. There are six family members still working in the business and there are several grandchildren in the wings. The dealership suffered a tremendous loss on June 15, 2000 when lightening struck the main building and it was destroyed by fire. After two and a half years of permits and planning, Rosalee and the family opened the new building on Gandy in November of 2002. Rosalee?s business ability consisted not only of starting Barney?s Motorcycle Sales, but also the original Winter A.M.A. Motocross Series, Mrs. B Insurance, Village Square, and five Barney?s Mini Storage complexes along with many rental properties. In her recent years, she was a counselor for the SCORE program of helping new business entrepreneurs. Rosalee always held high expectations for the family members, managers and employees at Barney?s and insisted on fair and honest dealings for the customer. She was respected and loved by many in the industry. Her love of the challenge and quest for excellence, led to her success. Rosalee was a member of the St. Petersburg Altursa Club, she was a Eureka Chapter No. 5, O.E. S. Officer, a member of Insurance Women of St. Petersburg, a SCORE Counselor, Life Member, American Motorcycle Assn. and the Florida Motorcycle Dealers Assn. She is survived by her daughter, Beverly Jean Newton of Seminole A brother, Gene Swanson of Bloomington, Illinois; four grandchildren. Natalie Little, Todd Hempstead, K.C. Wood and Billy Wood, and six great-grandchildren. There will be a visitation Wednesday October 29th from 6:00 ? 9:00 p.m. at Anderson-McQueen Funeral Home, 2201 Dr. MLK St. N., St. Petersburg. A funeral service will be held Thursday October 30th at 10:00 a.m. at Allendale United Methodist Church, 3803 Haines Road N., St. Petersburg. Interment to follow at Memorial Park Cemetery.