Kendra Lewis

KENDRA SHARRELL LEWIS was born August 11, 1991 in Baltimore, Maryland to Shirley (Cheryl) Gilliam Lewis and Elwood Kenny Lewis. Kendra was a beautiful baby, born with an illness that would remain with her until she departed this life on December 14, 2022. Kendra was raised by her parents until her mother’s untimely death in 2011. Thereafter, she came to reside in the home of her Aunt Mary and Uncle Joseph, whom she affectionately called Pa-Pa. Our beloved Kendra attended Clairmont School and graduated in 2012. After graduation she attended the Chimes Vocational Services Program until the Pandemic, and her underlying condition forced her to remain at home. She loved going to Chimes and found her work as a direct support staff aide enjoyable as she gave out materials and assisted when clients arrived. She also enjoyed the social connections made with her many friends 99% of which were males. She always looked pretty, loved to dress up and get her nails done. She had plenty of “boyfriends” and looked forward to the Chimes Annual Christmas party at Martin’s West, where she danced with her “boyfriend” at the time. It was nothing for Kendra to bring home a token of kindness from one of her male friends in the form of jewelry, a piece of fruit or candy, a soda or even a love note; all done just to impress her. Kendra was a member of God’s Will Apostolic Ministries, where Pastor Charles Bennett and Lady Barbara Bennett are Pastor and Co-Pastor. She loved attending church and looked forward to her birthday shout outs from Pastor Bennett. If he forgot, she would remind him that it was her birthday and he had forgotten to give her a shout out. She enjoyed spending time with Cousins: Connie, Marvin, and Kalei, who lived next door, also attended God’s Will Apostolic Ministries with she, Aunt Mary and Pa-Pa; and pitched in whenever there was a need. She did not let her physical impairment deter her from having fun and traveling with Pa-Pa and Aunt Mary. She voiced her opinion with confidence. Kendra would cross her legs and say, “If you don’t like me, I don’t care, I just go with the flow.” She would tell the children, “Do you know how old I am, you know I’m grown, don’t mess with me.” Even though she had many challenges and others sometimes had difficulty understanding her – she had no problem expressing herself. Kendra traveled by plane, train, automobile and cruised to places like the Bahamas, Jamaica, Grand Turks, Amber Cove, Dominican Republic, and to her dream trip - Disney World. As fate would have it, she was in Orlando, Florida, the home of Disney World, at the time of her passing. Kendra was grateful for the family life and care she received from her Pa-Pa and Aunt Mary and would often say, “thank you so much for taking care of me.” Kendra had a few favorites: her favorite song was “Break Every Chain”, her favorite restaurant was Applebee’s, and her favorite entertainment was her iPad, the Disney Channel, Teen Nick and BET. She liked to banter with her Pa-Pa, as they went back and forth joking with one another seeing who could make the best score on the other. Kendra is preceded in death by mother, Shirley Gilliam Lewis; grandmother, Blonnie Mae Gilliam; and uncles, Frankie and John Gilliam. Kendra leaves to cherish her memory: father, Elwood Kenny Lewis; brother, Quinton Gaines; Aunt Mary and Uncle Joseph Payton; aunts: Joyce Freeland, Patricia Daniels, and Sabrina McKissick; uncles, Linwood Earl Yelverton, Lamont Brunson and Paul McKissick; and a host of cousins, other relatives and friends.

Tributes

Kendra Lewis

August 11, 1991 - December 14, 2022