Stevie Willis Bailey Ii

On the bright, cool afternoon of Wednesday, August 24, 1994, Steve and Deirdre Bailey welcomed Stevie Willis Bailey, II into the world. The high that summer's day peaked at just 73 degrees Fahrenheit. It remained, like Stevie himself, comfortably temperate, welcoming, calm.

Seasons came and seasons went. Stevie grew tall quickly, soon overtaking his older sister Brittany in height yet always looking up to her with pride.

Alongside Brittany, Stevie was raised to believe in God, give thanks for Christ Jesus, and trust the Holy Spirit to direct his path. He may not have realized this at the time, of course, because he learned it while singing in Sabbath School, exploring nature with the Adventurers, and serving others through the Pathfinders Club.

After a few more seasons of growth and study, Stevie gave his life to Christ. He was baptized into the New Life Seventh-day Adventist Church family, where he continued to study God's word and grow in knowledge. Later, as a deacon-in-training, Stevie served the New Life Church through evangelism and community outreach programs.

Stevie graduated from Wayne High School in Huber Heights, OH in 2012. Having reached an impressive height of 6'2" and weighing in at a lean, muscular 230 lbs., Stevie was a defensive end for the Wayne Warriors football team.

Upon completion of high school, Stevie took courses in business management at Dayton's Sinclair Community College before joining the first of the Bailey family's hospitality businesses in 2014. Not surprisingly, given the Christian team player he was, Stevie possessed a fierce work ethic. It made him fully aware of his ability to effect powerful, positive change.

This work ethic, along with the quiet stream of compassion that ran through everything he did, enabled Stevie to expand the family businesses while simultaneously honing his managerial skills. But Stevie was raised in the Brewer, Bailey, and New Life families; he knew the importance of balancing service and work with recreation and play. And he knew how to do it too.

Stevie sought and embraced quality down time at home and on the road. On beaches and in the surf on family vacations; on rollercoasters and waterslides with sibling-friends from church; and on basketball courts with his Dad—Stevie took it all in.

And as boys will be boys, he and his brother-friends—Victor, Ronnie, Donovan, Isail, Narroop, and Dajuan among others—got up to all sorts of youthful shenanigans. They hiked through Carriage Hill, Charleston Falls, and several other state parks. They enjoyed motor sports theme parks, paint ball competitions, and working on cars late into the night. These memories offer only a glimpse of the depth of life Stevie enjoyed, for Stevie infused his life with purpose, action, and joy.

The morning of Saturday, July 20, 2019 started off cool, light, and breezy. Then it spiked to an unseasonable 93 degrees, bringing with it a heat index of 103.

July 21st and 22nd were
Likewise
Unbearably hot days
Unpredicted and unforeseeable
For the summer month of July

Three unimaginable
Unforeseeable
Unbearable days
In the summer of Stevie's life

Surrounded by family and friends
Held by his mother and father
Stevie Willis Bailey, II entered his rest
As the day cooled down
On Monday, July 22, 2019 at 4:45p.m.

But this is not the end of Stevie's narrative. By the grace of God and medical technology, Stevie has offered the Gift of Life to four other persons, their grateful families, and those yet to be blessed by medical research.

Love wins.

As Joseph said to his brothers in Genesis 50:20, Stevie could say to Satan,
"But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order
to…save many people."

Remembering Stevie and cherishing his rich, beautiful life are his parents, Steve and Deirdre Bailey and his sister Brittany Lauren Bailey; maternal great-grandfather James Briggs; paternal grandmother Marie Bailey; maternal grand parents Henry and Evalene Brewer; paternal aunts Teresa Bailey Wright, Barbara Bailey, Cynthia Bailey-Henderson, Brenda Bailey (Bill) Whitfield, and Janice (Kevin) Christian; maternal aunts Shirlett Brewer (Darryl) Thornton and Deborah Brewer Whitfield; along with all of us and a host of other cousins and friends.

"Therefore you now have sorrow;
But I will see you again
And your heart will rejoice,
And your joy
No one will take from you."
–John 16:22

A Memorial Service to celebrate Stevie's life will be held on Friday, August 02, 2019 beginning at 5:00pm at New Life Seventh-day Adventist church, 225 Cambridge Avenue, Dayton Ohio 45402.

To share a memory of Stevie or leave a special message for his family, please visit the guestbook below.