Hey, Now, Family, Friends, Aloha Cliff, I'm Brad Yates. When Cliff said my name it sounded and felt like a celebration. At the end was that patented laugh that seemed to originate deep in his soul.

I feel blessed to be part of this service to honor him. Thank you family. In truth, I'm not over Cliff. I pray that this service will allow me to celebrate his life and put and end to the morning. "You mourning me, Brad Yates?" I hear Cliff say. "Deal with it, I'm gone!" Cliff the realist, the man who handled "Iniki" and then the laugh!
Oh how I miss that laugh, Oh how I miss you, Cliff Bailey.

I feel grateful to have the opportunity to share my feelings for this great man.
And what a great man he was. He was a loving son, a proud brother, a devoted husband, a supportive father, and a born leader.
He had the passion in his beliefs and the compassion for others.

Loving son. I remember when I connected Cliff to Mrs. Bailey, the Mrs. Bailey. I commented "what's it like having such a spiritual person for a mother?" It was then that I got that look, the look that instructs, the look that said "keep it in the box, Yates." And then he said, "she's my mother!" And then the laugh! And, then he said, "I love her."

Proud brother. "Younger brother," Cliff said, speaking of John "he figured something out, he's free to travel and work when he wants while the rest of us are strapped to our jobs." Then the laugh and then the expression of pure family pride. John was out of the box and Cliff approved. Cliff was equally proud of Sister Beryl, Brothers Jim and Speedy and their families. Family was everything to him.

Devoted husband. Fahy, he simply adored her. In her presence he showed his sensitive side. The strong leader softened by the love he felt for his lovely wife. The sign of real strength, he loved her and he loved showing her how much she meant to him.

Supportive father. Cliff shared with me his concern for Kaulana. God had blessed him with a teacher. The strong leader was given a surfer for a son. A Kauai Boy, a "shredder" a young man who walked to beat of a different drum. Kaulana was way outside of the box and Cliff prayed for the patience and awareness to be a good father. The patience and awareness came; Cliff was a great father.

Strong leader. I was lucky, I got to see Cliff up in front with his team, the faculty of Kapaa Elementary. Cliff loved the metaphor of the team; he was a jock that never tired of the lessons he gained from his experience on the field, court and diamond. He loved his teachers and they loved him. Cliff was a natural leader. As I prepared for my talk that day, I was nervous. It suddenly occurred to me how much I wanted to do a good job for Cliff. Such was he power as a leader. As Mike Ban said "Cliff will be missed for sure, I keep waiting for him to come walking into practice. But he gave us all the strength to carry on."

Passion. Cliff had the fire. One day we're on a walk from Kaimanu Beach to Black Point. At Diamond Head we started to talk about how we got to Punahou. I made the mistake of mentioning the A-word, the name of Cliff's high school football coach. Cliff exploded, out came the details of a most painful incident. At Black Point, I paused, concerned for his well-being, "Cliff," I said, "I know you have a counseling background and you're married to a therapist, have you thought about letting some of this emotion go. "I have," Cliff screamed, "I used to be really upset." And then came the laugh. This was the Cliff I knew and loved. He was real and honest; there was no hidden agenda.
He had the courage to share his true feelings and his convictions.

Aloha. Cliff, I love you and your family. Thanks for giving us all so much strength and for being such a presence. A special thanks for all of the laughs.

Rest easy, strong and loving man, we will keep your memory and spirit alive.

God Bless and Aloha,

Brad