Samuel Anderson “Andy” Reasoner

Samuel Anderson “Andy” Reasoner, 69, of Bradenton, FL passed away quietly on Wednesday, November 27 in hospice care at Sarasota Memorial Hospital after a short hospital stay. A (long-winded) storyteller and generous soul ‘til the end, he will be missed by all who knew him.

Andy was a fifth-generation nurseryman born in Bradenton, FL on November 28, 1954, to Rae Ferguson and Egbert “Bud” Reasoner. He went to high school at the Culver Military Academy in northern Indiana where he played football and polo and was a proud member of the Black Horse Troop. He went on to earn a BS in Tropical Horticulture from the University of FL and served as the class spokesman of the first Leadership Manatee class sponsored by the Manatee County Chamber of Commerce. He did his part to carry on the rich Reasoner family history in Manatee County as owner of Andy Reasoner’s Royal Palm Nurseries. After years of wrangling with county government about property taxes for historic structures, Andy grudgingly sold Beth Salem, the iconic 2-story green Victorian family homestead built in 1896 that had been converted to his business offices located on SR 70 next to the Sam’s Club near 301. With the sale of that property, which has since been developed as a Racetrac, Andy reluctantly closed Royal Palm Nurseries and finished that chapter of Manatee County’s agricultural history. He worked tirelessly with the Smathers Library at the University of FL to provide old nursery catalogs, ledgers and family communications to offer the public one-of-a-kind research resources for native FL and exotic plants as well as some of the early history of Manatee County. Rather than retire after his horticultural career was over, Andy turned his energies to real estate development and built a 220-unit apartment complex, Royal Palm Terrace in Bradenton. He would often say that the early years of that project took a decade off his life, but the now-thriving complex was a source of great personal pride and is the legacy he leaves his family.

Outside of work Andy was a Commissioner of the Cedar Hammock Fire Control District, had served as secretary/treasurer of the Southeast HS Athletic Boosters while his son was a student-athlete, was the President and member emeritus of the Southeast HS IB Parent Alliance, loved his time as a volunteer with the Youth Group at First Presbyterian, Sarasota, Bay Haven Odyssey of the Mind and Southeast High School TSA when his children were participants, supported the Manatee County Ag Museum, the Palma Sola Botanical Park, Yellowstone National Park and every dance school and troupe his daughter performed with. And lest we forget, he was a life-long avid Gator fan.

Andy is survived by his wife, Beth Byron-Reasoner, his sons Ryan “Addison” (Holmes Beach, FL) and Byron “Tyler” (Los Angeles, CA), his daughter, Lauren who is currently attending the University of South Carolina, and daughter-in-law, Maya. He also leaves behind his brother, Alan “Ward” Reasoner, a sister, Elizabeth Rae Reasoner, sisters in-law Theresa Reasoner and Laura Pfender and nieces and nephews including Justin and Jesse Reasoner, Evan Reasoner Pfender, and Aidan and Priya Sharma. He was preceded in death by his parents, grandparents, father-in-law, and family dogs Roxy and T-Bow – all of whom he plans on seeking out in heaven.

Friends and family are invited to a celebration of life with a catered reception following at 3:00pm on Sunday, December 15th at First Presbyterian Church of Sarasota. Andy will be cremated, and his ashes will spend eternity throughout Yellowstone National Park.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Manatee County Ag Museum (1015 6th St W, Palmetto, FL 34221 or www.manateecountyagmuseum.com/donate) or the Palma Sola Botanical Park (P.O. Box 14214, Bradenton, FL 34280 or https://palmasolabp.org/donate/).