photo by: contributed photo

Javier Bailon Estefania

Javier Bailon Estefania always led with a smile.

Whether he was your friend or your waiter, he was ready with a grin or a laugh, and that’s something those who knew him say they will remember.

Bailon, 43, died Sept. 4, after being hospitalized with COVID-19 for almost four weeks, according to his family. He is one of the 97 people in Douglas County who have died as a result of the virus since the pandemic began. Bailon was born on Feb. 6, 1978, to Oliverio Bailon Calderon and Senorina Estefania Miranda in Acapulco, Mexico. He was one of seven siblings and the father of five children.

Bailon moved to the United States 23 years ago and had lived in Lawrence for about 20 years, his sister Claudia Bailon told the Journal-World. Claudia Bailon, also of Lawrence, described her brother as a happy, hardworking man who was dedicated to his children, the youngest of whom is 12 and the oldest of whom is 23.

“He was an example as a father,” she said. “He went out of his way for his children.”

She said her favorite memories with her brother are big family gatherings to celebrate holidays, and how on the Fourth of July he would make carne asada, hamburgers and hotdogs for family and friends. She said her brother worked a lot, at times even working seven days per week, to provide for his kids and be able to do fun things like take them to Worlds of Fun.

“He worked hard to give his children the most he could,” she said. “He always worked, worked and worked to give the best to each one of his children.”

photo by: contributed photo

Javier Bailon Estefania and his youngest daughter, Jaslyn Bailon, are pictured in this family photo

Claudia Bailon described her brother as a content and laid-back person who was “always smiling” and quick to do a favor for a friend or family member. It was an attitude he brought with him to his job as a waiter at El Sol restaurant in Ottawa, where she said he worked for several years. On his own personal Facebook page, Bailon would even share the restaurant’s specials.

Many people he served at El Sol know him by name, and beyond just a waiter, they thought of him as a friend. A post on El Sol’s Facebook page about Bailon’s death was shared more than 100 times. The restaurant has even been accepting donations from patrons who want to help the family cover expenses. People commented about his smile, friendliness, and how they got to know him over their many visits to the restaurant, some saying they even purposefully sat in his section.

“His smile was so bright and huge, he (lit) up the room,” one person wrote.

Another person commented that when she came in with her kids, Bailon would always talk about his kids with her, and she hoped that they knew how much their father had loved them. Ottawa resident TJ Fluke said she’s been going to El Sol for about four years, and that Bailon’s kind and welcoming personality really stood out to her.

“He was just a friendly guy,” Fluke said. “He never met a stranger.”

Fluke said she and her family are regulars at the restaurant, and Bailon would greet them with a hug and want to know how her kids were doing. She said he was clearly a proud dad, and he loved talking about his children and what they were up to.

Beyond work and being with his family, Claudia Bailon said her brother liked spending time with his friends and enjoyed music and dancing. She said she thought the reason people liked him at the restaurant was the same reason everyone liked him: because he was just a nice person.

She talked with sadness about his death, saying that he had been fighting to get better, but ultimately developed pneumonia.

“We never would have imagined seeing him like that, that he would leave us, because we saw him as very strong, very happy, with a desire to live,” she said. “He was fighting for his life, like he still didn’t want to leave.”

A celebration of Bailon’s life was recently held at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, according to his obituary. Bailon is survived by “his partner in life” Beatriz Martinez, and his five children: Maria Salmeron, Brenda Bailon, Evelyn Bailon, Jaslyn Bailon and Osvaldo Bailon. Other survivors include his siblings Guillermo Estefania, Reyna Bailon, Isaura Bailon, Gloria Bailon, Angelica Bailon and Claudia Bailon.

Editor’s note: The Journal-World’s interview with Claudia Bailon was translated from Spanish.