A tribute to my dad for Father's Day

My dad, Gary Wesley Bailey (Feb. 2, 1955, to June 7, 2023) was the best.

My dad spent his time with his family. He loved us and showed us his love. Not everyone can say that about their dad. We appreciated him and we were honored to have been his children.

We have so many memories to cherish.

I remember when I was little I would wake up when he would leave for work and I would sit on his foot and wrap myself around his ankle and hang onto his leg and he would walk around and drag his leg with me on it through the house while he got ready. I didn’t want him to leave. Not then, not now.

I remember when he was laid off from the Galena. Lucky for me, I was in half-day kindergarten and the morning session. He would pick me up from school and we watched soap operas together.

My dad took my brother and me up to Lookout Pass skiing every Saturday. It didn’t matter what the weather was like. He always made sure we had good equipment and that we advanced each year in the free ski school. His knees were shot so he didn’t ski with us, but he waited in the lodge or the truck, watching us come down the hill and packed our gear to and from the truck; all day long, he never complained and he was patient with us. My dad was the best.

My mom and dad made every game I ever played, every track meet I ever ran in; they never missed one, not one. It didn’t matter how late we got home or how far we traveled, he still got up and went to work, faithfully, to that mine for 43 years.

My dad supported and encouraged me in everything I did. I always knew he was proud of me. Even last May he stood through a torrential downpour at the Meet of Champions track meet to watch me get a Hall of Fame induction and he loved every minute of that afternoon, nothing could have kept him from going.

I knew he loved my husband, and I knew he loved his grandkids. He couldn’t wait to retire and take them to all the things — riding bikes, swimming and sports camps. He could not wait to watch all of their games. Just a few weeks ago he said once he gets feeling better they could take the kids to the flag football camp.

Unfortunately six short months after officially retiring he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. What a shock.

My dad had hope and my dad fought hard. He had already beaten prostate cancer three years before. No one even knew he had it or that he went through treatments. He worked the entire time). To celebrate that victory, we took him to Texas Roadhouse for his birthday and he rode the bull. What a sight and what a video to cherish.

My dad drove himself over for all of his radiation treatments (again), up until the final week of radiation when he just couldn’t do it alone. My dad had no pain, my dad didn’t complain, he fought. He hated missing family dinners because he couldn’t risk getting sick from anybody. He finally rebounded from the radiation and chemo and was going through the motions of preparing for the surgery when we found out the cancer had spread to his brain. What a nightmare. Are you kidding me?!

My dad had brain surgery Tuesday, Feb. 14, and was back at home walking by himself by Friday.

My dad was the best. The day of his brain surgery was a skiing field trip for the kids. It was one of the first things he asked about when he could talk on the phone at the hospital. How was skiing?

Again my dad recovered, his hair grew back, he had no scars, he looked great, but more tumors came.

Dad did more radiation. The doctors and nurses would ask: Do you have pain? Do you have an appetite? My dad ate. My dad had no pain. They were always amazed by how great he looked and felt and how well he tolerated the treatments.

God answers prayers, he answers them according to his will. No matter how hard my dad fought that cancer never left. There was no miraculous healing but my Dad had no pain. He could tolerate his treatments, he recovered from his brain surgery, he could eat, and best of all, my dad was my dad the entire time. Brain cancer can have crazy side effects but our prayers were answered. My dad could talk with us, he could laugh with us, he could hug us, he could sing to the kids and we got three-and-a-half more months with him after that surgery.

I’ll miss my dad every day, he was the best. My kids miss their Papa, he was the best. My Mom misses her husband and my brother misses his dad.

He was the best.

We don’t get to ask, "Why?" God had a plan for him. We find our comfort in knowing Jesus prepared a room for him and that Dad had accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. We know he is in Heaven and we will spend eternity with him. That’s the good news.

“Bad News” knew the good news, Praise Jesus!

Someone recently told me, men like my dad never die, they live on in the lives they touched and the influences they had. My dad lives in me, he lives in my brother, my mother and my kids.

If you knew my dad you liked him, you left the conversation with a smile and most likely he had you laughing. We have had an incredible amount of people reaching out to us, sharing in our grief and memories of my dad, and all have said what a special guy Gary was.

My dad was the best.

“Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope in salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Romans 5: 1-4 NLT.

With love,

Gretchen Mann (Bailey)

“Baby Girl”