VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — If there was anyone who embodied the motto, "It's not the destination but the journey that matters most," it's a Virginia Beach man named Leroy Bailey.
13News Now first caught up with Bailey in 2016, at the tail end of his years-long cross-country journey across the United States. Making his way around the perimeter of the country, Bailey walked for years to raise awareness about veteran homelessness.
Former 13News Now anchor LaSalle Blanks caught up with him at Mount Trashmore, after he'd first become a social media sensation.
Bailey's family shared that he passed away Thursday evening, after a months-long battle with pancreatic cancer.
"I was numb, it was supposed to be what we thought was a kidney infection. And immediately he decided he’d get chemotherapy because he wanted to be there for our grandson’s graduation from high school," his wife Luci Bailey told 13News Now.
Doctors diagnosed Bailey back in February.
The final months of Bailey's life were filled with travel and lasting memories, Luci said. He even joined the "Boneshakers Social Club" after he'd admitted to Luci that he had always been interested in motorcycles.
"I feel like my best buddy is gone, and I'm not jealous of anybody in heaven but it would’ve been at least nice to have Christmas," she said.
His family shared with 13News Now that following his diagnosis, Bailey began working to finish the writing of a book based on his cross-country experience. They said the finishing touches are being put on the book and that they hope to have it published in his honor.