Christian Jamar Durham
Christian Jamar Durham was born on Friday, November 13, 2008, in Paducah, Kentucky, to Jacqueline M. Fayne Lewis and Aaron Durham.
He is preceded in death by his great-grandparents, great-aunts, great-uncles and cousins.
Christian was only 11 years old, but had matured and developed very distinctively and was wise beyond his age.
He was amazing, witty, intelligent, sometimes shy, and bashful, but always humble, wise, a joker, a prankster, funny, very inquisitive, always wanted to know how to do anything and everything. He had a long list of goals that he planned to achieve.
Upon starting kindergarten, Christian also started learning how to play the piano at Skyline Academy in Marion, Illinois.
While at Carbondale Elementary he took swimming lessons. After joining Cairo Elementary, he became a violinist with his brother Brandon and at Armstrong Elementary in Hazelwood, Missouri, he learned to play the trumpet.
Christian was a graduate of 6th Grade at Emerson Elementary School in Cairo, Illinois. He was looking forward to getting back to school, because he wanted to see what new science experiments awaited him.
Christian was never short of expectations, whether it was his or ours. He had received a letter of induction to The National Honor Society and had qualified to join National Beta Club (an organization for 4th through 12th grade students in the United States. Its purpose is “to promote the ideals of academic achievement, character, leadership and service among elementary and secondary school students) with a GPA of 3.5 or better.
He had qualified to skip a grade and yet maintain an exceptional GPA. He was ecstatic about going to Junior High School and often talked to his brother Brandon about the various electives and which ones he should take.
Christian loved to go fishing with his dad, Aaron, hanging out and taking trips with his brothers, Amarion, Gabriel, Armani and Avion, and playing video games with his friend LaMarkus.
You could catch him riding his hover board or playing basketball with his brother Brandon and their crew of friends. All of these boys, came up playing Upward basketball at Mighty Rivers.
When hanging out and making videos with his cousins and friends, Cassidy, A’Mari and Ashanti, they would spend extra time working on perfecting the latest dance. Spending time with his best friend, Zy’keis was a past time he enjoyed as well.
He was becoming an amazing cook by helping his mom and Grandma Donna. He was learning how to drive and enjoyed his time working on car stereos with his step-dad, Anthony and creating his dream car on the internet.
He was a young man that carried himself with great character and was respected by both young and old. If you wanted an honest opinion, a conversation with Christian would guide you in the right direction.
Although his time on earth was limited, he touched the hearts of so very many people. Christian was an amazingly smart young man with a heart of gold and was the joy of our lives, and he shall never be forgotten.
On Monday, June 22, 2020, Christian was taken suddenly from our midst and transitioned to a better place, the result of an automobile accident in Lyon County, Kentucky, at the age of 11 years, nine months and nine days.
He leaves to cherish precious memories, his father, Aaron Durham of Belleville, Illinois; his mother and step-father, Jacqueline Michelle and Anthony Lewis of Hazelwood, Missouri; five brothers, Brandon Jamarious Moore of Hazelwood, Missouri, Amarion Durham of Belleville, Illinois, Gabriel Williams of Chicago, Illinois, and Armani Durham and Avion Durham of Murfreesboro, Tennessee; paternal grandparents, Azariah Israel of Chicago, Illinois, and Gracie Durham of Ullin, Illinois; maternal grandparents, Mitchell D. Bell of St. Louis, Missouri, and Donna K. Gaines of Cairo, Illinois; four uncles, Tevin Bell of St. Louis, Missouri, Darcy (Natalie) Durham of Aiken, South Carolina, Marcus Durham of Ullin, Illinois, and Gabriel Israel of Chicago, Illinois; five aunts, Chaya Israel and Kamala Israel of Chicago, Illinois, Brittnee Bell and Bianca Bell of St. Louis, Missouri, and Sheba Durham of Atlanta, Georgia; special grandparents, Joyce Lewis and Helen Flowers of St. Louis, Missouri, and Rychnitha Meeks of Cairo, Illinois; honorary brother, Ja’ Kyrin Jones of Paducah, Kentucky; special cousins, Cassidy Dunnigan and Kellie (Kris) Brann of Cairo, Illinois, Amariah Davis and Donna Brann of Clarksville, Tennessee, and LeTisha (Jamfert) Barber of Paducah, Kentucky; his best friends, Ze’keis Roberson of Cairo, Illinois, and Lamarkus Hammond of St. Louis, Missouri; and many uncles, aunts, cousins, other relatives and friends who loved him dearly.
A walk through visitation was held Friday, July 3, 2020, from 9 a.m. until 12 noon at the Mighty Rivers Worship Center Gymnasium located at 215 10th Street in Cairo, Illinois. A private funeral service followed, with Bishop Paul Jones, officiating.
The Williams Funeral Homes of Charleston, Missouri, was in charge of arrangements.