Obituary of Keith David Bailey

Keith Bailey got his steps in. Every day. Even as he went through treatments for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia over the past 10 months, he walked more than three miles daily along hospital corridors. Keith David Bailey, 50, passed away Dec. 2, 2020, at the Morgantown, W.Va., home he shared with his loving wife of 24 years, Beth, their son Reed (16), son Cooper (10), daughter Maggie (10), and dog, Rose. Keith is the son of Hank and Linda Bailey of State College, Pa., and the brother of Kim (husband Chris) Gilbert of Henrico, VA. With each step that Keith took in life, he persevered, he overcame and, above all, he connected. In his work as Assistant Provost for Teaching and Learning and Dean of WVU Online at West Virginia University, he connected people to their potential. In his everyday interactions, he connected with everyone in his midst. He would interact with the college student working the chairlift, the nurse checking his IV, the pitching coach conducting a workout on a field he was walking past. After struggling academically in grade school, especially in reading, Keith went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in adult health and fitness from Bloomsburg University followed by a master’s degree in instructional technology from Bloomsburg University and a Ph.D. in workforce education training and development from Pennsylvania State University. Before joining WVU in 2016, he was the Assistant Dean for eLearning at Penn State’s College of Arts and Architecture followed by serving as the Director of the Office of Online Learning at The University of Georgia. Keith made the WVU baseball team as a walk-on in 1989, a highlight in his lifelong love affair with baseball. With his dad as coach, he led the Bloomsburg Moose Lodge team to two Little League championships. He was a four-year starter for the Bloomsburg High School baseball team and continued playing baseball in a senior league in State College years later. He coached Reed and Cooper through countless moments of learning, improving and celebrating together on baseball fields. He coached Maggie on a different type of diamond -- a double diamond black ski run, where it was just her and her “Pa.” Keith once won a blue ribbon at the Bloomsburg Fair for his koala collection, which started with stuffed animals and stickers and grew to include shot glasses. He persisted at playing trombone until the ninth grade, even though the family consensus is that he was not good at it. He was good at making apple pies. Keith was the dad who served as Assistant Pancake Maker to Cooper and who brought back a Winnie the Pooh pillow from a business trip to Orlando for Reed and had a special nickname for his only daughter. He was the husband who skied alongside Beth on blue sky days, watching their children turn in sync through the fresh powder ahead. He was the brother who took turns with Kim dropping pillows and blankets on each other via the laundry chute at Mimi and Grandpop’s house. He was the son who played with his dad in the last fast-pitch softball game that Hank ever pitched. He was the son of the mom who made a pasta breakfast for some of the team members before every football game. Keith’s connections, purpose, and deep and abiding faith in the potential of others is what made him a tremendous gift. His love for life and family were the driving force for all he accomplished. He is survived by his wife, children, parents, sister, parents-in-law, aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers- and sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, one great nephew, and many dear friends and colleagues. Memorial contributions may be made to the WVU Cancer Institute Comfort Fund. (Go to https://give.wvu.edu/wvucancerinstitute). Contributions may also be made to the Positive Coaching / Positive Sport Parenting Initiative at WVU. (Go to https://give.wvu.edu/cpass, select “College Special Projects," and put "IMO Keith Bailey" in the Gift Comments Box.) Keith’s last step: At his request, and in line with his life’s mission of furthering innovation and research, his body was donated to the WVU School of Medicine Human Gift Registry to support WVU’s health sciences teaching and research missions. Photo credit: Jason Thrasher/Thrasher Photo A celebration of Keith's life will be held at a later date, due to COVID-19. Hastings Funeral Home assisted the family with arrangements. Condolences can be made at hastingsfuneralhome.com