Obituary: David Bailey / Illness made him follow his gift for music
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David Bailey, a Christian musician whose songs reflected his 14-year survival from a cancer that was supposed to kill him long ago, died Saturday in Charlottesville, Va.
He often performed around Pittsburgh, and was the son of the prominent New Testament scholar Kenneth Bailey and his wife, Ethel, of New Wilmington, Lawrence County.
He was 44.
His final concert, given in July, was for the New Wilmington Mission Conference at Westminster College.
"For me, death has sort of become like a friend who walks beside me but is annoying enough that I keep him at a solid arm's length," he told blogger Michael Manning in a 2007 interview.
"Cancer saved my life. It showed me how precious the gift of time is.
"It forced me to overcome some fears and pursue a passion.
"It drove me to want to make a real difference in the world and in other people's lives by sharing hope and to leave a legacy for my children more resounding than a few mementos and a 401(k)."
He grew up in Beirut, Lebanon, where his parents were Presbyterian missionaries. Civil war forced him to finish high school in Germany.
His parents had ties to the Pittsburgh region, and he majored in English and communications at Grove City College, where he met his wife, Leslie.
They moved to Washington, D.C., where he analyzed satellite images for the government, then moved to private software firms.
He began suffering severe headaches in 1996 but refused to see a doctor.
A seizure led to the discovery of a baseball-sized brain tumor that, despite aggressive treatment, was expected to kill him within two years.
He said that he realized that his "Why me?" anger at God was pointless, and that the real question was "What now?"
He chose to follow his gift for music.
When he was not only alive but healthy three years later, he chose not to resume his corporate career.
First Published October 7, 2010 12:00 am
