Obituaries 316
Tyree Zellars, 18, always seeking knowledge from his elders
Tyree Zellars always gravitated towards his elders. He loved his whole family, but thrived with the wealth of knowledge and guidance his grandparents provided him. “He was a family boy, he really was,” Alane Zellars, Tyree’s mother, said. “When he got out of school, he would go home to check on his grandma, then he […]
Emanuel Ervin, 21: ‘Who is this EE’ that loved to laugh despite terrible trauma?
When Emanuel Ervin was a child, his mother would take him to restaurants that had video games at the bar. He won so consistently that his initials stayed at the top of the list of the highest-scoring players. “Grown men would be like, ‘Who is this EE? I want to meet this EE! He has […]
Cristina Tosado, 38, pharmacy technician who always cared for ill family
Cristina Tosado was a strong, take-charge woman who was born to care for people. She helped take care of her maternal grandmother before she died in 2016. She also assisted in the care of her uncle, who died in early February 2017. “I looked up to her because she was stronger than I was,” her […]
Eric Perry, 24, ‘funny as hell’ family man who made viral videos
All Eric Perry wanted in life was to find a good job and take care of his family. He had two children, and at the time of his death on October 5, 2017, was working to get his forklift license. “He wanted things that were going to keep his family better in the long run,” […]
Justin Reyes, 17, Lover of iguanas, dogs, snakes, tarantulas, scorpions and even eels
Iguanas, dogs, snakes, tarantulas, scorpions and even eels filled the North Philadelphia home of 17-year-old Justin Reyes. As Justin’s mother says, he owned and cared for “everything except farm animals.” Their home became a petting zoo attraction for all of Justin’s friends. Justin’s dream was to become a veterinarian or a zoo keeper. He cared […]
Niam Johnson-Tate, 23, New Dad and Organ Donor
Niam Johnson-Tate was the baby of the family. He got whatever he needed or wanted — even a car, when his two sisters scraped their money together and bought him an old Pontiac Bonneville when Niam was 18. So when he found out that he was going to be a father, he felt unprepared for […]
Rodney Copeland, 18, father-to-be who ‘just wanted to live life’
Rodney Copeland could see all of his high school milestones on the horizon. He was 18 years old, a senior in high school and getting ready to plan for his future. “He wanted to go to school, he wanted to graduate and was looking forward to going to prom,” Antoinette Garner, Rodney’s mother, said. “He […]
Kyra Cordova, 27, funny, smart volunteer who was always with friends
It was hard for Kyra Cordova to find shoes. She was 6-foot with size 14 feet and finding clothes wasn’t that easy for her. She and her mother were thrift shopping one day, and Kyra came across a pair of red Louis Vuitton jeans she had to have. One look proved they would not fit […]
Jayvon Mitchell Pendleton, 20, student at Cheyney University with big dreams
As a mother, Felicia Pendleton didn’t have the smoothest path when it came to raising her first child, Jayvon Mitchell Pendleton. Born in Philadelphia on Feb. 17, 1996, Jayvon suffered from ADHD and bipolar disorder. “It really wasn’t easy as a single parent, but I never gave up on him,” Felicia said. She provided guidance […]
Donte Wylie, 20, Still Beloved Almost 10 Years Later
Donte Wylie was 6’ 4” tall, weighed about 200 lbs and was obsessed with Polo brand clothing. “He would wear a belt with the pants, but the pants would still fall down,” Victoria Wylie, Donte’s sister, joked. “My brother walked with a hop, so he would be hopping and pulling up his pants.” It’s fun […]
Howard Williams, 22, Life of the Party
The first hot day of the season in 2010, Hoffman Street in Point Breeze was the scene of a water fight. Super soakers were blasting, and all the neighbors were outside hoping to beat the heat. “It was like everybody had turned on a fire hose,” Dianne Williams, the mother of Howard Williams, said. “Everybody […]
Tamara Johnson, 21, Dreamed of a Beautiful Life With Her Daughter
Tamara Johnson was getting ready to audition for a modeling job in New York when she found out she was pregnant. “That’s the reason why she couldn’t get to New York, because she had this little belly,” Terrez McCleary, Tamara’s mother, said. “I wasn’t paying any attention, but we found out she was pregnant so […]
Darrin “Meatball” Grandy, 23, loved being outside—until he fought for his life
The first thing you should know about Darrin Grandy is this: None of his friends or family ever really called him Darrin. To them, he was Meatball. “When he was born he was really chubby,” said his mother Tameka Johnson, who lives in Olney. “The name just stuck with him.” Born July 12, 1994 in […]
Raymond Pantoja, 26, a rapper who also loved ‘The Notebook’
When Raymond Pantoja was born, he saved his mother’s life. “I was five years lost in drugs,” Lisa Espinosa, Raymond’s mother, said. “Raymond was my lifesaver, because when he was born, he made me realize this was my last time, and I had to get my life together.” Raymond, better known as RJ, changed the […]
Hassan Kay, 18, cereal-obsessed teenager
Fruity Pebbles, Frosted Flakes, Fruit Loops: 18-year-old Hassan Kay’s favorite foods came in the cartoon-covered, colorful boxes that line every grocery store’s cereal aisle. He could easily eat two to three boxes of cereal a day. Hassan was “hooked on it.” “I’d send him to the store and he’d come back with seven or eight […]
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