MANNFORD, Okla. — The Mannford community came together to celebrate the life of a Mannford teen who was killed in an apartment fire.
Connor Timothy Bailey was only fifteen when he passed away. A community coming together to give their condolences to the family who lost their son too soon.
"We met in Pre-K. We were really young," Treighton Carter said. "He was scared of me, and I went up to him and introduced myself. I got his phone number, and we started hanging out."
Treighton Carter and Jake Rogers tell us they were Connor Bailey's closest friends.
"We were the three musketeers for a while," Carter said. "But now it's just Jake and me. We are going to carry on his legacy."
Carter and Rogers say for them, it's the little things.
"His smile definitely, his eyebrows. The inspiration of people whenever he talked," Rogers said.
Leesa Crawford says she knew Connor since he was in Pre-K with her grandson.
Like many people leaving the memorial today at Mannford Middle School, they described Connor as a great kid.
"He just always had that positive vibe," Carter said. "No matter like if you were having a really bad day, he would just bring it up. Just happy thoughts, and that weird smile he had."
Carter's grandmother says she's watched her grandson and Connor grow close throughout the years.
"They are best friends, been best friends since the first day they met," Crawford said. "They've been inseparable."
Crawford says after hearing what happened, they couldn't believe it.
"My grandson called me before school started, and he told me that he was gone. I ran down here and got him from school, and we drove over there, but we couldn't get to the house."
She says Connor even helped around her home, if she needed it.
"He'd say 'Yeah come on I'll help you. We will get some chores going; he was just all about helping. He was such a good kid."
Connor will never be forgotten. Crawford says she plans to stay strong for the kids.
"Not just sit around and say he's never coming back because he is. He's here with us right now. Keep it flying high Connor." Crawford said. "He will just be so missed here; he's going to be so missed here," Crawford says, "everybody in Mannford just loves him you can see the turnout today."
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