Sunday, January 22, 2006

It's *still* so hard to say goodbye to yesterday

Eric Martin Bailey

ERIC MARTIN BAILEY, 41, passed away Sunday, November 13, 2005, at his home in Denton. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, November 17, at First Baptist Church in Graham with the Rev. Chad Stubblefield of Loving Baptist Church officiating with the assistance of the Rev. Gary Tull of First Baptist Church. Burial will follow at Graceland Cemetery in Jermyn. Arrangements are under the direction of Morrison Funeral Home. A memorial service will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, November 18, at the University of North Texas Student Union Lyceum Building in Denton. Eric was born, April 27, 1964, in Bethesda, Maryland. He moved to Texas in 1971. He graduated from Bryson High School in 1982. He graduated from Midwestern State University in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in theatre and speech. He also did graduate work at the University of North Texas, University London, Kings College Chelsea and Oxford University. He joined the Denton community in 1997 as a theatre specialist for the DISD. As Director of Theatre at Denton High School he sponsored or coached UIL One Act play, UIL Prose, UIL Poetry, Java Cafe, Children’s Theatre Workshop and many more. For his service and devotion to his students he was recognized as Denton High School’s “Most Inspirational” teacher in 2005, Texas Teacher of the Year 2004 (Educational Theatre Association) and Denton High School’s “Most Talented Teacher” 1998-2004. He was also interim director for the Denton Community Theatre. He also received the Greater Denton Arts Council’s Community Arts Recognition Award (CARA) for education in February 2005. Eric was preceded in death by a son, Eric Martin Bailey Jr., and his father, Frankie Weldon Bailey. Survivors include his mother, Kay Shepard and stepfather, Mark Shepard, both of Graham; a son, Taylor Bailey of Evansville, Indiana; a daughter, Jordan Bailey of Henrietta; and their mother, Joy Hicks of Henrietta; two brothers, Frankie Bailey and wife Lisa and Brandon Bailey and wife Susan, all of Graham; a sister, Kelly Smith and husband Jason of Graham; his grandmother, Vestal “MeMe” Martin of Abilene; four nieces, Kylie, Sadie and Mackenzie Bailey and Reagan Romines, all of Graham; and three nephews, Brant, Cameron and Corbin Bailey, all of Graham.
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I know, it's been over 2 months now...but it still hurts as much as it ever did.

And God, the dream I had of him just maybe 4 nights ago still haunts me. I witnessed his horrific death...it happened right there in front of me and I was powerless to stop it.

It was a few days before terrible November 13, 2005. I was there, back in time, and I warned Eric myself, bringing all the newpaper clippings myself. Thank God, in this case, in my dream, he believed me. He probably wouldn't have if it actually were possible for me to time travel like that.

Somehow, I was back at my childhood home in Denton, there on 505 Parkway Street, and I could see Eric running down the sidewalk to exclaim joyfully that he had made it though the day that would've otherwise been his last day on Earth in this life with that big, sweet, beaming grin on his face...but then, at the same time, a car sped up behind him down the street and someone in the car pointed a gun at his neck and shot him--he died instantly.

I remember nothing until abuptly I was sitting in my room where it was pitch dark and icy cold. Then, my mother came through the door and she said, ''It's been 4 days already, Celia, you need to leave your room and get over it.''

''I missed his funeral, didn't I,'' I asked, but it was much more a statment than a question.

''Yes, now COME OUT OF HERE,'' she huffed.

But all I did was choke and bawl fresh sobs. I remember nothing else of this dream.

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IT'S SO HARD TO SAY GOODBYE TO YESTERDAY

Boyz II MEN

How do I say goodbye to what we had?
The good times that made us laugh
Outweigh the bad.

I thought we'd get to see forever
But forever's gone away
It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.

I don't know where this road
Is going to lead
All I know is where we've been
And what we've been through.

If we get to see tomorrow
I hope it's worth all the wait
It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.

And I'll take with me the memories
To be my sunshine after the rain
It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.

And I'll take with me the memories
To be my sunshine after the rain
It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday.
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