I’m Jahvon the second oldest child of Maria Dopwell. Unlike the rest of my siblings, my soft voice and my non-confrontational demeanor landed me as grandma’s quiet one.  I can’t even begin to explain the amount of ways she’s touched my life over the years but one thing I can say is she will live on through my siblings and I. 

The looming fear of death is something I’ve always worried about since I was in elementary school. I never would’ve thought losing someone close would hurt this bad but losing both of our grandma’s this year was way more than I expected. One of my favorite memories with her was when we all used to sleep in her room on the giant bed and fall asleep with her listening to Jimmy Swaggart on TBN. Nothing will compare to the warm cozy feeling of grandma’s room and waking up to the smell of Jean Nate.

As for my hair, it’s not only apart of who I am, it is a symbol of my growth and grandma’s support in my decision to grow out my hair to the length it is today. She would always say I looked like Michael Jackson and the mayor’s son so not hearing her is going to be painful. Speaking of her support, not many people can say their grandma lived to see all of her grandkids finish high school and we are all fortunate to have her push us to keep going despite her pain and suffering she endured for us. With her never ending support, my personal struggles through college with the nonstop homework and the stress would always seem to disappear while talking to her. I don’t have a lot of friends due to my more introverted nature and my grandma was one of the only people I would consistently call every week. Not being able to call my best friend will be something I will never get used to. Not only was she my best friend she was a second mom to all of us since we went to her house a lot growing up. 

It’s important to focus on what she did in our lives and remember that even though we were only a fraction of her life, we were definitely a major part of her later years. Grandma was a very influential part in all of our lives and was a nonstop believer in our lord and savior, so with that, I know for a fact she’s in a better place.. looking down at all the lives she’s touched with a smile on her face.

Thank you Grandma.

• I was so sorry to hear about Blanche's passing. She was such a warm and positive person. She was never sad despite all she was going through. Her positive attitude is a testament to who she was and anyone she spoke with felt that warmth and strength. May she rest in eternal peace with the Lord.