On Terrance Stewart’s sixth birthday in 1987, his mother called him from the hospital where she had just given birth to her youngest daughter Shadeea.
He asked what she had gotten him for his birthday, and she said, “a little sister.”
His reply: “I don’t want that. I wanted a dog.”
Although Terrance and Shadeea were born six years apart on the same day, April 6, they never had a joint birthday party. They were finally planning their first one, but the celebration they intended to have was not to be.
Terrance was shot on Oct. 18, 2016 and died two days later at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Police have not made any arrests.
“We miss him,” said Terrance’s oldest sister Shantae Stewart. “Some days are better than others, but I still cry every day.”
Terrance was born in Philadelphia on April 6, 1981 to Teresa Stewart and Robert Byrd. In addition to Shantae and Shadeea, he had two brothers, Rob and Christopher.
Terrance and Shantae were especially close, and their mother would often comment that they were in cahoots together. Terrance was lively and outgoing as a child, but he was quiet around people he didn’t know. He would not eat any food prepared by anyone other than his mom and sisters, and even then, he’d smell his food before eating it.
A 1999 graduate of Benjamin Franklin High School, Terrance worked with his father fixing up houses, but he later broke his leg and went on disability.
Terrance was known as the non-judgmental, cool uncle who was called “Uncle Fat Dirty.” When Shantae’s daughter started college, he was so proud.
“He was so excited that one of us went to college,” Shantae said. “It was a big deal.”
Terrance had a 23-year-old daughter, Destiny, and he was in the process of rebuilding his relationship with her.
Drinking coffee and lifting weights were part of Terrance’s daily routine, and he enjoyed eating coffee cake, too, even though he was allergic and broke out in hives.
Terrance (third from left) and his family
As adults, Terrance and Shantae lived down the street from each other in North Philadelphia. She still sleeps in his shirt.
On the date of his death every year, their mother makes dinner for the family, they say a prayer, and release balloons outside. They plan to do the same this year.
“I want everybody to know he was a good person and he didn’t deserve to die like that,” Shadeea said. “They didn’t have to kill him. He had so much life in him, so much left to experience.”
A reward of up to $20,000 if available to anyone that comes forward with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the persons responsible for Terrance’s murder. Anonymous calls can be submitted by calling the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS.
Resources are available for people and communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Click here for more information.
Date: 2016-10-20
Location: 300 N. Felton St, Philadelphia, PA
