The embodiment of life and love | Mandela Highway crash victim Shadedra Williams laid to rest

This was the general sentiment expressed by most mourners who gathered at the Old Harbour Bay Baptist Church yesterday to celebrate the life of 23-year-old Shadedra Khadeen Williams of Old Harbour Bay.

• VIDEO: Funeral Service for the late Shadedra Williams

A promising young and talented woman who had recently graduated from the University of South Florida in the United States, Williams died as a result of injuries she sustained when the Mercedes Benz motor vehicle in which she was travelling crashed along the Mandela Highway on December 16, 2023.

All 800 seats were taken inside this sprawling 102 years old Baptist tabernacle with the spill-over of a few hundreds more taking shelter under the cool shade of trees on the compound.

The entrance of her white coffin was accompanied by a saxophonists playing the soulful ‘You Know My Name’ and the mood was an expectant somber one as the coffin being wheeled at the front of the church represented potential that was never fully realised.

Williams, the daughter of Jamaica Public Service’s Vice President of Generation and Business Development Joseph Williams, was back on the island for a visit during the Christmas holiday period when tragedy struck.

All dressed in shades of pink, Shadedra’s family sat in front of enlarged pictures and cut-outs of the young woman that depicted her journey from a small child through adolescence and onto adulthood. These were interwoven between the tonnes of vibrant pink roses that covered the front of the church. Her casket when opened also became a shrine for more pink roses which were placed inside by her close relatives.
Interspersed throughout the ceremony were musical tributes done by violinist Raffique Williams as well as Williams’ alma mater Glenmuir High School Choir.

In delivering his sermon, Reverend Tyrone Barnett shared that the Lord laid upon his heart the message that people need to find time for God.

“I think of all the young people whose funerals have been held in this church and I stand here to ask when are we going to realise that life has an expiration date? Where will your eternity be spent? You have to take the word of the Lord seriously because he says behold I am coming quickly.

“I have been a Jamaican all of my life and one thing I know that we are skilled at is bribing people but I want to remind you that there will be a day when we cannot bribe the one that matters and He will be marking the register of life,” he preached.

“If you do not know Jesus Christ this is the perfect opportunity to know him. I did not come to frighten anybody but we need to know that life is fragile and we have to handle it with care. There will be a day when we all have to stand before Almighty God and give an account of how we spent our time on earth. Good name won’t get you to heaven, who you know won’t get you to Heaven and the job you do won’t get you there, only the blood of Jesus.”

Tributes then poured in from family and friends who knew and loved the young woman affectionately known as ‘Deens’ or ‘Chun Chun’ who had the most infectious laugh, loved water balloon fights and everything affiliated with Christmas.

Described as smart, positive, diligent and dedicated, her best friend and former school principal spoke glowingly about Shadedra.  But it was the words of her father that moved the large gathering as he reflected that as his middle child and his only daughter, the bond they shared was special as not only was she beautiful but was the only one of his children who adored sports, especially football much to his delight.

“She was every father’s dream of who a daughter should be with her beyond measure beauty, intelligence and very conspicuous physique.  Of course, this was also a source of great trepidation as you consider how to prepare for the many boyfriends who will line up at your door when it gets to the dating stage of life,” he said.

“So my good friend John Paul had a new hobby which had me going to the range frequently and with her two protective mommies, I had nothing to worry about. She truly cherished all I did for her. While in college she would stretch her last dollar and only ask for funds if she really needed it. As I went through old photos of her, I felt her warmth and presence. These old photos will become treasures that we never part with. It is not an easy task referring to her in the past tense. Her passing has been the single most difficult experience of my life. I have saved all your voice notes. Hug your grandma and grandpa for me. Until we meet again.”

To encapsulates all that she represented not only to her family but to the communities of Old Harbour Bay and Four Paths, her brothers Jelani and Jaleel Williams presented her eulogy and spoke of a legacy that though cut short still impacted all who know or came in contact with the remarkable young lady who had a kind word or bright smile for everyone.

While in high school, she served tirelessly to enhance the lives of her fellow students at Glenmuir as she organised events that dealt with food drives and school beautification. Within the wider community, she assisted with toy and book drives for hospitals, children’s homes and other state care facilities. Skilled in Mathematics and programming, she thought to be a software engineer, opening her own tech company after becoming proficient in computer science and so she fielded many offers of scholarships from prestigious universities in both the United States and Canada. Her long-term goal was to return and assist the island in strengthening its cyber security development as she never liked being far from her home roots in Jamaica.

“She left the nest and began to truly find herself and navigate her new journey in Tampa. She found her footing and asserted her own independence. It was an honour to see her blossom into a bold young woman; a woman who carved out time for self-care and introspection. She had a vision of the life she wanted to create and was relentless in pursuing it.

“Even in the midst of the pandemic she was busy sharpening her skills with coding boot camps and later on led a team of young women to win the grand prize in an international ‘hackerton’ which eventually landed her an internship in San Francisco.

"She was the embodiment of life and love who only saw the good in everyone. That is why I still can’t understand why our sister was taken from us when she was bursting with so much potential and ready to take the world by storm.

“‘Deens’, our world will never be the same. We love you eternally.”

A moving pictorial tribute celebrating her beautiful yet brief life’s journey was then shown which left few with dry eyes inside the church.

Shadedra was later interred at the Thetford Park Cemetery.