The Men and women we’ve lost during this COVID-19 season.
Jonathan Adewumi
This Nigerian-American restaurateur and entrepreneur was the co-owner of popular Brooklyn restaurant Amarachi. Throughout his life, Adewumi was known as a great ambassador for Africa for sharing the wealth and regalness of its history and culture with the American populous. In addition to the restaurant, he was responsible for running the city’s Nigerian Film Festival, as well as a travel business called Homeland Travels and Tours. In the ’80s and ’90s, he also launched and ran a successful clothing business, Nigerian Fabrics and Fashions with his two siblings. He was born in Nigeria in 1963 and died from the coronavirus on April 14 at the age of 57.
Gil Bailey
This legendary broadcaster graced Caribbean radio airwaves with his presence for over half a century. Bailey became known as the “Godfather of Reggae Radio” because many people credit him for introducing the music to the tri-state area. He was born in 1945 in Jamaica and died in April 2020 at the age of 85.
Judge Johnny Lee Baynes
Remembered as a gentle giant in the legal community, he first sat on the New York City Civil Court bench in 2005 and subsequently won an election for a 14-year term to Kings County Supreme Court in 2011. He realized that injustice prevailed in his community and devoted his life to eradicating it. Justice Baynes was known for keeping a firm hand over his court but never raising his voice, even when things irked him. He famously said, “Once you’ve raised your voice, you’ve lost the room.” Baynes died at 64 years of age from pneumonia on March 26 after contracting the coronavirus.
Dr. Julie Butler
Shortly after graduating as the only African American in her class at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Butler took over the 145th Street Animal Hospital on April 1, 1989. Dr. Butler knew she wanted to be a vet since she was a little girl growing up in New Rochelle, and she wanted to serve her African American community. She mentored youth in the area who wanted to become veterinarians and co-founded a nonprofit, New York SAVE, to distribute small grants to help clients in need of care for their pets. She lived by the principle that “if you have it to give, you give.” She died at her home in Harlem from the coronavirus on April 4 at the age of 62.
Dave Edwards
New York bred, Dave Edwards grew up playing basketball in Harlem’s Rucker Park, and became a record breaking point guard for Georgetown and Texas A&M. He was street smart, and quickly realized he had a chip on his shoulder, so he worked extra hard to prove himself. After college, he played for professional teams in Lithuania and Iceland. Most recently, he was a recreation a manager for community service organization Elmcor Youth and Services Activities. He coached basketball there and at The Mar Louis Academy, both in Queens. He was born on December 2, 1971 in Richmond, VA and died fighting the coronavirus on March 27 in New York. He was 48 years old.
Lee Green
An All American athlete and a retired NYPD officer known as a “gentle giant”, Lee Green was admired by everyone he came across in his life, gaining praises from coaches, teammates, and his fellow officers. On the basketball court during the 1990s at St. John’s University, Green was known for his ability to play defense, so it seems right he chose a career defending his city. The Bronx native died March 23, 2020 in Brooklyn, NY after contracting the coronavirus. He was 49.
Leroy Hammett
Known around the Penn State campus as “pops”, Hammett was the father of the Penn State basketball team’s head coach, LeShawn Hammett, and as the assistant coach helped guide the team to a national championship in 2019. Hammett, who joined his son after retiring from an engineering company, was also remembered as being a pillar in his South Bronx community. He owned a barbershop and often held free haircut days for children and seniors. He died from the coronavirus on March 30 at the age of 71.
Dr. Roy Hastick
Dr. Hastick was an integral part of the Caribbean-American community in New York City. After migrating from Grenada, Dr. Hastick served as a social worker, community advocate, entrepreneur, and media publisher. His experience in the workforce further drove him to promote economic development and small business services in his community. He fought for small businesses and founded the Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 1985. He died from coronavirus on April 9 at the age of 69.
Conrad Ifill
Trinidadian businessman Conrad Ifill sold a wide array of baked goods from Conrad’s Famous Bakery, a fixture in the epicenter of the Caribbean community in Brooklyn for decades. He was always determined and left his Wall Street data processing position more than 30 years ago to fulfill his dream of owning a Trinidadian bakery. He was born in 1939 in Trinidad and died on April 17 from the coronavirus. He was 81 years old.
Arnold Obey
Mr. Obey was a veteran school principal who participated in the NYC marathon 38 times in a row. He was a star athlete in high school and attended Wagner College in Staten Island on a basketball scholarship. Starting his career in education as a history teacher, he climbed the ranks and assumed the position of principal of PS 31 in New Brighton, Staten Island. Arnold Obey suffered from a heart condition and despite suffering a stroke, continued his 38 marathon streak. He was born on March 5, 1947 in the Bronx and succumbed to the coronavirus on March 22 while vacationing in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He was 73 years old.
Lloyd Cornelius Porter
This 49-year-old entrepreneur and actor was greatly loved by his Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn. Lloyd and his wife Hillary owned and operated Bread Stuy, a coffee shop and bakery that was the ingredient that united a community. After closing about a decade ago, the Porters opened another eatery, Bread Love, in the Stuyvesant Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. Although he was a native of California, he was an adopted son of Brooklyn, a pillar of the community who was often referred to as “Mr. Hooper,” a tribute to the grocer from Sesame Street. He, his wife and 11-year-old daughter were preparing to move back to their native California before the coronavirus took Lloyd’s life on May 6 after a monthlong struggle.
Dez-Ann Romain
Principal of Brooklyn Democracy Academy, Dez-Ann Romain set an example for her students with her vibrancy and perseverance. A Caribbean immigrant, she had a great understanding of hard work, and pushed herself and her students daily. Ms. Romain set high standards for herself as a humanitarian in her community, regularly participating in 5 km walks and runs for charitable causes. She was born on July 6, 1983 in Palo Seco, Trinidad and died from coronavirus on March 27, making her the first New York City public school employee to fall victim to the coronavirus epidemic. She was 36 years old when she passed away.
Mary Roman
A Senior Olympian and current holder of the senior shot put record, Ms. Mary Roman defied all odds and proved that age isn’t anything but a number. Her husband, Granville Roman, regularly participated in the Senior Olympics and after his death in 1999, she began training to compete and quickly excelled. She won over 300 medals in her Olympic career. She was born on September 9, 1935 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and died in Connecticut on April 6, 2020 due to complications caused by the coronavirus. The mother of five sons, she was 84.
Wallace Roney
This trumpet virtuoso was a musical genius whose career spanned more than 45 years. He was taught by the likes of Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Clark Terry, and was married to celebrated pianist Geri Allen, with whom he had 3 children. Roney made his recording debut at age 15 and attended Howard University and Berklee College of Music. He was born in May 1960 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and died of the coronavirus on March 31 in Paterson, New Jersey. He was 59 years old.
