Donté Meshach Moore, a helpful, caring young man and a kid at heart, was so generous he often used his entire paycheck to buy food for his friends and others in need.
“I would caution him about it but that was Donté.” said his mother, Jacqueline Satchell. “My son cared about everybody.”
Donté was born on May 14, 1998 and lived on Woodlawn Street in Germantown. When he was a student at Martin Luther King, Jr., High School, he was quite proficient at basketball. There are many awards and trophies to prove it. Yet, Donté already knew that his main career would be helping people. After he graduated as part of the Class of 2017, he was preparing to take classes to become a CNA. To that end, he recently completed his CPR certification from Kendricks Hospital.
This young man was quite popular in and outside of his neighborhood. He was often heard saying, “All the women love me. I’m Donté!” He obviously was not lying because he attended 3 proms, his own and two others in his senior year.
Here was a guy who believed in strong family ties. He was very attentive to his mother who struggled with MS and ever-protective of his mother and his sister, Daisha. Community-minded, Donté often checked on his neighbors. He ran errands, cut grass, helped neighbors with their shopping bags or whatever else they needed. He made such strong impression that to this day, the neighbors still check on his mother to make sure she is okay.
While he was in high school, Donté was a summer camp counselor. He had fun interacting with the young boys and girls. No matter what he did, he seemed to maintain a positive attitude. Some described him as loveable and playful; sometimes even silly. He was known for making up silly dances while sitting in the backseat of a car.
Donté enjoyed playing jokes on friends and family especially his sister. “I’m your big brother,” he often teased, referring to his height. “No, you’re my little brother,” she corrected, reminding him that she was older. So, he would pick her up and spin her around as they both laughed.
“My brother knew a lot of people too,” Daisha shared. “I remember one time, he wanted to treat me at McDonald’s. We didn’t order a lot of food but we were waiting a long time. Donte went to speak to the manager. This man knew my brother, so as an apology, he offered us extra food. We brought home enough to share with our mother!”
Young Mr. Moore’s days were quite busy. “Over busy,” his mother said, “always in and out the door. Sometimes, he couldn’t keep still.” Donté loved music. If he was not working or playing basketball, he was rapping. Even though his sister had started rapping first, Donté got into it with much enthusiasm. A lot of time and effort was invested in producing tracks with his friends. He hoped people would hear them someday.
Still, Donté had some issues. Donté attended multiple schools and later, he had different jobs. He was tested a lot as a child because he acted out or he would fall out when he could not have his way. He was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder), which was just a fancy way of saying that he struggled with authority figures. However, none of that stopped him from holding down his recent job as a guard with Allied Security for almost 2 years. He was liked at the job as much as he was in his neighborhood.
Donté became a little brother in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program when he was about 10 years old. “Donté was one of my longest relationships outside of my family,” Mike Elger said. “I was assigned as his big brother when he was in the fifth grade. Although you graduate out of the program when you turn 18, Donté remained a part of my life beyond the program. We stayed connected for 15 years.”
Mike became quite emotional when he added, “we did a lot, even though we only met once a month. We played basketball, exercised, grabbed a meal and hung out. We mostly talked about his life, and his plans. He talked to me about having a hard time with schools or jobs too. It was incredible to walk side by side with him, just talking and sharing.” “I could not help reflecting on how violence was so much a part of his environment. There was a shooting in his neighborhood when he was very young. A bullet grazed his arm and other bullets hit his house. It had nothing to do with him but violence was all around him. Yet, he was still a positive, generally happy guy. He always had a smile.”
Mike added that it hurt when Donté would talk about some of the people who had been killed in Germantown. Daisha mentioned that even though Donté attended a gun show once, he was very much against gun violence. There was a catch in Mike’s voice when he said, “when this is how a petty disagreement is resolved, it’s insane!”
On April 14, Donté Moore and a friend were playing basketball at Awbury Arboretum at Haines and Ardleigh Streets. He lost his life a month before his 25th birthday, during an argument when he was shot in the chest and lower back. A suspect did turn himself in to police.
A basketball and trophy, with his number 5 on it, from MLK High School were presented to his mother in Donté’s honor. Also, Councilperson Cindy Bass of the City of Philadelphia awarded a citation posthumously. As of June 10th, a basketball team called, Ball for Taé-Big 5 was organized in Donté’s memory by his friends. The team plans to have games on Sundays all around the city. A balloon release in Donté’s honor, took place on April 19th at Awbury Arboretum where this young man loved to play basketball.
Funeral services took place on April 29 at St. Phillip Baptist Church located at 6th Street and Girard Avenue. The Repast was held at the Lonnie Young Recreation Center in Germantown. Donté is survived by his mother, Jacqueline Satchell, his sister, Daisha, his brother Dominic, 3 aunts, 3 uncles, his godparents, and a host of cousins. His grandparents are deceased.
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