‘Don’t give up’: On visit to suburbs, Bailey opens up about crash that killed son, grandchildren

Wednesday will mark six months since Republican gubernatorial nominee Darren’s Bailey’s son, daughter-in-law and their two young children died in a Montana helicopter crash.

“You live life and you just think … that there’s going to be a tomorrow,” Bailey told the congregation of Lakewood Chapel in Arlington Heights Sunday.

“We think that we know what we’re going to do five minutes from now. It’s all in God’s hands. For those of you who have suffered a loss, don’t give up.”

Bailey suspended his campaign after the Oct. 22 tragedy but later decided to stay in the race and won the GOP nomination in March.

On Sunday, the conservative former senator from downstate Xenia spoke about how his faith sustained him amid the sudden loss of four family members.

Bailey and his wife, Cindy, were campaigning in northern Illinois when they learned there had been a helicopter crash involving Zachary Bailey and his wife, Kelsey.

“I always know what to do,” Bailey said. But at that moment, “I didn’t know what to do. I knew the chances weren’t good.”

He started driving to Montana. Small mercies happened along the way, like learning that his grandson Finn, 10, was not on the fatal trip with his parents and sister, Vada Rose, 12, and brother, Samuel, 7.

Bailey was determined to break the news to Finn in the morning, but realized he was running out of time. In the middle of Iowa, a former business partner of Zachary’s called and offered a private jet.

Bailey boarded the plane in Sioux City and arrived just as his grandson was waking up. “It was the grace of God,” Bailey recalled.

Lakewood Pastor John Elleson, the GOP nominee for the U.S. 9th Congressional District seat, said the church’s congregation is diverse, with members from both political parties. Bailey was welcomed with the understanding he would be telling a personal, not a political, story, he said.

Elleson asked Bailey how one makes sense of such a tragedy.

“There’s been times when I felt, maybe, if I just (had) done something different — we wouldn’t be in that situation,” Bailey said.

“At the end of the day … I am at peace because I know where they’re at.”

Zachary and Kelsey had a motto: “blissfully discontent,” Bailey recounted. To him it means, “we’re not satisfied, we want to make things better.”

“My son and his wife lived life passionately; they lived it with a purpose.”

The crucible of the helicopter crash, has “meant continuing this journey,” Bailey said.

“At the end of the day, stuff happens,” he added. “Turn it over to God, the good, the bad and the ugly, and give it to him.”