He will not finish his bachelor’s degree in public administration.
He will not preside over another meeting of the College Democrats.
He will not cheer for University of Michigan athletics again.
Jeremy James Osmond-Bailey was born in Saginaw on May 13, 1979, to Barbara Osmond and the late Matthew Bailey.
He died by suicide Saturday, Oct. 17, at the age of 36.
Student Association hosted a vigil in memory of Osmond-Bailey at 9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, near the Julia Stacey Edwards Bell Tower on campus.
Association President Jarrod Eaton, on behalf of the University, extended “deep regards to the family and friends of Jeremy.”
After a solemn rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” by members of the student organization Encore, Eaton invited students, faculty, staff and family and friends of Osmond-Bailey to share memories they had of Osmond-Bailey.
Dean of Students and Associate Provost for Student Affairs Merry Jo Brandimore talked about her experience traveling with more than 100 SVSU students to the 57th presidential inauguration in early 2013.
“There were two buses that went, and it just so happened that Jeremy was on our bus,” Brandimore said. “Most of the students … were going to walk around Washington, D.C., that day with the friends they’d came with, but there were some of us who didn’t have anyone with us.
“So I stood, being the old lady on the bus, and said if anybody wanted to walk around (the city) with me, they could feel free. Jeremy came up after I made the announcement, and we decided we’d run around Washington, D.C, together. We were joined by another SVSU student … and we put on about 100 miles … that day and we were wearing winter boots. It was quite a trek, but we stopped at the Smithsonian, and Jeremy bought (me and the other student) a hot dog for dinner.
“He’s one of those guys that, once you meet him, you feel like you’ve known him your whole life,” Brandimore continued. “I consider him a real special human that I’m glad I had the opportunity to get to know.”
University officials sent the following email to faculty, students and staff Monday, Oct. 19:
“Dear Cardinal family,
We regret to inform the campus community that SVSU student Jeremy Osmond Bailey, a political science major, passed over the weekend at his off-campus apartment. We extend our condolences to his family and friends.
Grief counseling is available through the SVSU Student Counseling Center located in Curtiss Hall, Room 112. The Counseling Center can also be reached at: 989-964-7078 or counselingservices@svsu.edu.”
Janelle Lake, a political science senior, said she will miss Osmond greatly.
“Jeremy was a year older than my uncle who died in a car accident my freshman year of high school,” Lake said. “The two of them were really similar and, in both instances, it took their deaths for me to realize how much they actually meant to me.”
Lake served as president of the College Democrats last year.
“Jeremy was the kind of friend you could depend on no matter what. He wouldn’t ask any questions, but he would just come when you called, no matter how out of the way it was for him.
“His own problems were less important to him than your own, and that’s probably the hardest part of all of this … none of us knew he wasn’t doing well. He never really told anyone about how he was doing. He cared more about everyone else than he did himself.”
“Walking into Gilbertson Hall … was extremely difficult knowing one of the faces I see on a regular basis would not be among us,” Lake wrote in a Facebook post last Monday. “I keep imagining that he’ll show up, and still be here with us, that this will all just be a terrible nightmare and we will wake up and not have to face the missing piece to our department’s and university’s puzzle every day. But, that isn’t happening. He is gone.”
Billie DeShone, a history senior and friend of Osmond-Bailey’s, has assumed the position of president of the College Democrats.
According to article 5, section 3, line 4 of the registered student organization’s Constitution, the vice president shall “assume the office of the (p)resident upon the (p)resident’s death, resignation, removal, or inability to perform duties.”
“Jeremy and I became friends like a year and a half ago when we were both involved in the College Democrats. We became friends really quickly and he was there when I was going through some difficult times,” DeShone said. “I think my favorite memory of him is earlier this year, we went out for dinner and we sat for hours talking about everything under the sun and how excited we were for the coming year with life and the upcoming election. He just meant so much to me and so many other people. He was so selfless … he gave his all to others while dealing with so much himself.”
Justin Machelski, a political science student, spoke highly of Osmond.
“The man was constantly reminding me how capable he was without really even saying anything about it,” he said. “Jeremy and I, for as long as we had known each other, had always kind of been big guys. So in late August, he offered me an opportunity to walk in a parade for a candidate in Lapeer, which I quickly accepted.
“When I saw him that day, I hadn’t seen him in a couple of months, but it really showed that had he lost weight. When I asked him, he didn’t really say much about it, but it was obvious. When we got to the place, Jeremy asked our driver, Bill (Wickes), to park the car and meet us at the spot where the group would start so we could all walk in the parade.
“I walked around the corner with Jeremy and we began a trek uphill, a long, slightly steep incline. Before I knew it, Jeremy was leaving me in his dust. I honestly was having a hard time keeping up with him. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to seem weak in front of him. All I could think was ‘here is a man on a mission.’ I was so happy when we got to our spot because it seriously took all of my effort to stay with him. When the semester began I told him about it and he laughed.
“I asked him how much weight he had lost, and he told me he had lost 90 pounds. I was so proud of my friend. He was a motivated, hardworking man with a lot on his plate.”
Kyle Hull, a political science senior and the Vanguard’s news editor, was close to Osmond, too.
“In May, we were going to … the Jefferson Jackson dinner, which is the big Michigan Democratic Party fundraiser in Detroit, at Cobo Hall,” Hull said. “We spent all day talking politics and networking and met Debbie Wassermann Schultz and some other important people. For dinner we ate the absolute worst chicken, and he struggled it all down because he was so hungry.”
Osmond’s funeral took place at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, at the Snow Funeral Home in Saginaw.
“If there’s one thing I think is already evident from Jeremy’s death, it’s that, at least, in the (political science) department, we are closer and more caring about everyone else now,” Lake said. “We all see how short life can truly be and that we are all important in it.”