James "Bill" Dailey

MECHANICSBURG - James W. "Bill" Dailey, 57, of Mechanicsburg, passed away Sunday, May 20, 2018 at home.

He was born June 6, 1960 in Jamestown, Ohio, the son of James W. and Alice Faye (Cox) Dailey. Bill attended Greenview High School and at the early age of 16, he began his career in harness racing. Throughout his life, Bill's passion for standardbred horses led him to major success as an owner, trainer, and driver. Since the late 1970s, he sent over 8,000 horses to the track with at least 1,200 wins and purse earnings in excess of 12.3 million dollars. As a sulky driver, he sat behind approximately 20,000 horses, leading 2,301 into the winner's circle. He produced multiple Ohio Triple Crown winners and numerous Ohio and Indiana Sire Stake champions, all leading him to receive the Jerry Kaltenbach Memorial Award over four times for "Ohio's Trainer of the Year." In his time away from the barn, he was an avid reader and enjoyed hunting grouse, pheasants and raccoons, as well as being a member of the United States Trotting Association and Ohio Harness Horsemen's Association. Bill was a selfless man who was devoted to his wife and daughter and was always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone. He impacted a multitude of lives both personally and professionally and though he will be deeply missed, his impact will never cease.

Bill is survived by his wife of 26 years, Kimberly (Dingledine) Dailey; his daughter, Ashley Dailey; his mother, Alice Cox; his brothers, Jack, Jeff, John, Jared and Jody Dailey; his sisters, Angi Dailey-Kelly and Angel Frank.

He is preceded in death by his father, James Willard Dailey.

A memorial gathering will be held from 5-8 p.m. on Monday, June 4, 2018 in the 4-H Activities Building at the Champaign County Fairgrounds where a prayer service will begin at 8 p.m.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Bill Dailey Foundation at Perpetual Federal Savings Bank, 120 N. Main St., Urbana, OH 43078, founded in an effort to aid young and beginning standardbred drivers to purchase their first set of racing silks.

Services are entrusted to SKILLMAN, McDONALD & VERNON Funeral Home, Mechanicsburg and condolences may be expressed to the family at www.vernonfh.com.