CHANDLER, Ariz. — Christopher Bailey was doing one of his favorite hobbies — running — when he was hit by a motorcyclist and died.
The 43-year-old had a lot more to give, said his wife of 19 years, Dawn Bailey.
“I think his role as husband and father was his greatest accomplishment,” she said.
Chris had a successful career at McKinsey & Company, and even though he had a busy schedule, his wife said he always made time for his family.
Dawn Bailey said he was devoted to their 16-year-old daughter Taryn, who was born with a rare genetic condition, where she has multiple complex medical conditions; physical and cognitive disabilities, and “she’s the only one we know in the U.S. with this specific genetic issue,” she said.
Despite Taryn’s complex medical needs and his hands-on-career, Bailey said Chris was involved in his daughter’s day-to-day care, even buying an RV during the pandemic to provide a safe and fun experience in the outdoors.
The family took 19 camping trips and had many more planed through March 2022.
On Aug. 31, the morning after landing in New York City for a business trip, Christopher Bailey went out for a morning run in the big apple. Shortly after 5:30 a.m., he was hit by a motorcyclist while crossing the street.
He was taken to an area hospital, but doctors could not save his life.
“He was just a kind, kind person,” Chris’ best friend Mike Fuller said. “I used to live in New York City, so we talked about a number of great places to run, so he was looking forward to it.”
Since 2008, the friends have been running partners, doing marathons, "Pat's Runs" and later had fun on two wheels.
“A normal year, [we] would be running 2,000 miles a year,” Fuller said. “But that wasn’t it, we also dirt biked together.”
Fuller was with one of his sons, who he said considered Chris his adoptive uncle when he got the news.
“We were together and just absolutely just collapsed,” he said.
Family and friends are now holding on to the memories as they cope with their grief.
“I loved his laugh, how kind and thoughtful, intelligent and fun he was,” Fuller said. “He would help mentor people, not just to enable his own career, but because he was interested in the development of other people.”
Hurricane Ida remnants that plummeted the East coast with torrential rain and flooding, made it a nightmare to get Chris’ body back to the Valley.
Family and friends were finally able to see him on Tuesday.
They hope to lay him to rest in a couple of weeks, where they expect up to 300 people to show up.
“He gave us such a great life,” Bailey said. “He touched so many lives and all the people reaching out is a testament to that.”
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