The Ride/ The Die

My son, Joshua James Bailey was born 11 days late in Inverness, Florida on January 29th, 2004. His first home was in Floral City, Florida where he lived a short time with his grandparents, two uncles, sister, dad, and me…Josh’s mom. We then moved to Brooksville, Florida where Josh would live his first 12 years. Myself and his father divorced and I remarried and we moved to Crystal River, Florida. Crystal River is where Josh’s maternal relatives have lived for four generations. Josh was a happy baby born to a large, loving, extended family. As a baby Josh’s only problems were fear of missing out in the form of fighting sleep and skin rashes as he had the fairest skin I’ve ever seen. As a toddler, Josh loved balls and animal toys the best and didn’t get into things he shouldn’t. He was a content kid. By about 3 years old, we could recognize that he was social and loved people. He made friends at church and loved his cousins and was sad anytime he had to leave them. At 4 years old Josh started t-ball with his first friend and best friend Gabe. The two of them fell in love with the ball field. Gabe was a fantastic player and Josh worked harder than most and he couldn’t get enough of the comradery and the coaches. Josh played Dixie League baseball at Ernie Weaver Park until we moved to Crystal River. Josh was thrilled to start school and he was the kid who hugged me goodbye and was happy to join in with the other kids, no tears from him if friends were around. He went to Brooksville Elementary School and excelled socially and academically. He loved his teachers and was the kid who greeted the staff he passed with a hug daily. Our backyard was across the street from the elementary school playground so at PE and recess I would often go outside, climb up in their treehouse and if they saw me he and Olivia would yell “hi mom”. I volunteered in Olivia and Josh’s classrooms twice a week and that gave me a window into the type of students they were. Josh was always involved and always on task because he truly enjoyed learning and once again, he liked people. He joined the drama club and landed the lead roll a couple times and he practiced his lines purposefully and knew them all. Middle school is often a difficult time for students, but not for Josh, he continued to excel socially and academically and he liked school. Josh was at DS Parrot Middle School in Brooksville for 6th grade and then we moved to Crystal River where he started 7th grade at Crystal River Middle School. We chose to move when we did because his sister Olivia was starting her freshman year of high school and we felt it was important for her to have all four years of high school in the same place. I worried over Josh being the new kid in 7th grade, but he fit in right away and made friendships that lasted him the rest of his life. Josh played little league baseball at Bicentennial Park in Crystal River and it was interesting to me that although he was the new kid, he was the one who was building bonds between the boys and connecting people. Josh made friends with ease, it was natural for him and many of the boys he played ball with are still his close friends today. Those baseball boys from back when they were kids are at my house now, taking care of Josh’s mom even though Josh is not here anymore, because Josh built meaningful and real relationships. Josh’s 13th birthday party bought over about 30 friends and they had the biggest time. High School years came quick and Josh was involved in everything at Crystal River High School. He truly had a class of outstanding kids who were so close with each other. Building homecoming floats, baseball, track and football and he never missed a social event. He started high school in sophomore level classes and kept up well. When Josh and the CRHS class of 2022 started driving, things ramped up quick and it was a wild ride for a good year and a half. For Josh, the idea of wheels, wide open spaces and mostly meeting up with friends anytime was absolutely thrilling! Then the covid pandemic hit and school closed halting the sports programs and everything else school related. We were told we had to stay home, avoid contact with everyone and if you must be around anyone, maintain a social distance of 6 feet. This was no fun for anyone, but for Josh it was completely devastating! Josh has always been a social creature, the center of his life has always been people and especially family and friends. For him, social isolation nearly threw him into depression, but he started sneaking out of the house to meet friends in the neighborhood before it got that far and that is understandable. The summer of Covid, Josh took a job at Twin Rivers Marina and even though he was only 16, they let him work as much as he would and so he worked 60 hours a week because he was a hard worker and because that kept him out of isolation at home. Josh graduated cum laude with the best friends in the world, the Crystal River High School class of 2022. He was thrilled to be finished and to have finished well with honors. He had started summer college classes and intended to earn his masters degree in Business where he would pursue a career in the outdoor industry.

On July 3rd, 2022 Josh woke up, cleaned the boat and headed over to a gathering at a friends house where he spent the afternoon with me and other family and friends. It was an interesting day because he had his family there as well as his first and best childhood friend, Gabe and his first and best Crystal River friend, Hudson. We were all there having a good time. Josh loved swimming holes and knew them all. He and his friends loaded up and headed to the Indian bridge to take a swim, Josh jumped. And he didn’t fly and he didn’t swim but he did gain his wings that moment. My son, Joshua Bailey will always be the love of my life. He will always bring me sweet and pure joy. He lived a big and full life surrounded by the most wonderful family and friends, coaches, teachers, bosses and even strangers who he just loved. He was skilled in so many things that I could not even begin to list them. He was kind and respectful and genuine and hilarious. He was the kind of person who could help others without any need for words, simply spending time with Josh would push peoples reset button, he had a calm and happy spirit to him. The day my son jumped in the water at that swimming hole, I know his expression was of thrill and delight. He loved the water and loved jumping in. He left doing his favorite thing with some of his favorite people. Josh died living.