In honor of Jaylon-DeVine

On June 21st, 2020 heaven gained an angel that will forever be near and dear to our hearts. To capture the beauty of Jaylon-DeVine William Nixon is a nearly impossible task. Jaylon embodied love, strength, compassion, loyalty, and passion. He truly loved with his whole heart and fiercely shared his love deeply with his family, friends, and any person that had the privilege to see his heart and welcome his genuine smile. Jaylon was a genuine soul, truly, one of a kind. He was his own man, with a strong voice, and a personality that we loved. He spoke his truth and made sure we could each do the same. To describe the impact that Jaylon had, has, and will always have on our lives is a task which is incredibly challenging to put into words. Simply put, his presence lit up every single room he entered. There was not one person that did not feel the kindness that radiated off of him. To his siblings, he was a role-model that took it upon himself to be a source of strength, a caretaker, and a defender. To his mother, he was her heart. To his father, he was his best friend. To his siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and friends, he was a light that never dimmed. Every aspect of Jaylon was resilient, loving, and strong. Jaylon was a fighter. If a struggle came his way, he persevered. If a challenge came our way, as a family, he held us up and pushed us forward. He had a relentless spirit that always stopped to take a moment to make his family smile and laugh. Jaylon was the first to say I love you, the first to check in on you, the first to stand with you, and the first to offer a shoulder of support. He never judged. His love was intentional, powerful, and endless. In sharing moments with one another, we will always remember the way that Jaylon inspired each of us. The way he had our backs in moments of weakness. The way he smiled. The way he stood for what he believed in. The way he loved his family and uplifted each of us every possible moment he could. Our memories of Jaylon are filled with endless moments in which he took it upon himself to fill our hearts; to show us what it means to love unconditionally through a laugh, a smile, a joke, a hug, or a handshake. Jaylon-DeVine was true to his namesake, he was a divine-human in more ways than we can possibly count. The Valentin and Nixon family have quite the legacy to uphold.

As a family, we are struggling immensely to come to terms with this loss while finding a way to truly honor the incredible young man that Jaylon-DeVine William Nixon was and will forever continue to be. Reflecting on Jaylon’s relentless strength and love for others we know that he would want us to come together to love each other, to support one another, and to live our lives with purpose and passion. 

At this time, we would like to give people the opportunity to honor his life by donating to support scholarships in the sports that he loved being a part of such as swimming and football, and also to provide support to his family. We have asked both coaches Ed Heath (Diving & Swimming) & Kevin Fredricks (Football) to guide us in this decision making.

This beautiful tribute was written by his siblings & cousins after they all told each other how special Jay-Jay was to them. Thank you to Kelsey and M for compiling all the stories to this wonderful tribute. Here are the cousins & siblings: Ariana, Jael, Kelsey, Orlando Jr, Noelani, Kyan, Christian, Raeshell, Kaylene, Michael, Aden, Victor, Dee, *Jaylon,* Jake, Daejon, Haley, Angel, Deja, Kaleb, Anthony, Makayla, Trey, Luke, Maya, Lexi, Lani, Gabriel, Trinity, Jayce, Jeremy, & Grayden. 

This event is being organized by the siblings( Efrain Jr, Madelyn, Linda, Orlando Sr, Yanira, Yadira, Yajaira & Mercedes) of his mother Teresa and spearheaded by her oldest sibling Efrain Valentin Jr (a local business owner) and all funds will be distributed by Linda (Valentin) Nawrocki sister to Teresa.

The funds will cover Funeral expenses for this sudden tragic loss and training (camp) scholarships in football and diving.