Jelani Marcel Washington

Jelani Marcel Washington was born December 3, 2009, at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, IN to Tanisha L. Washington and William E. Logan Jr. He came into the world one minute before his forever best friend and twin, Azaria Lee Washington, who affectionately called him JJ because she couldn’t pronounce Jelani when they were toddlers. He passed away quietly and peacefully May 20th on a rainy Tuesday afternoon, the day before the end of the school year at Parkview Regional Medical Center (PRMC) while holding his beloved nana’s hand. Since his days as a preemie, she had always been one of his favorite people, and he had always been her precious “Peanut.”

Jelani attended Southwick Elementary School, Prince Chapman Academy, Paul Harding Junior High School, and New Haven High School, where he was a freshman. On the first day of school, Jelani and his family learned he had a large tumor on his kidney which required urgent surgery. A short time later, he was diagnosed with Renal Medullary Carcinoma (RMC), the rarest and most deadly form of kidney cancer. As with everything else in his brief life, Jelani dealt with his diagnosis with bravery, dignity, and calmness beyond his years. He had a strong belief in God and did not fear dying. His main concern was for the people he loved and how his illness and potential death would impact them. Even as he was suffering from the cancer and treatment, he recorded a moving video to express these feelings and his particular concern for his baby sisters.

Jelani was a gentle old soul who rejoiced in gardening, playing video games, spending quality time with loved ones, cooking (he loved watching Gordon Ramsay), and intently researching wide-ranging issues that interested him which covered everything from meat-eating plants of the ocean to south Korean social politics. He was always happiest in the summer. He enjoyed helping his great uncle, Ephraim Smiley Jr., at his hunger relief garden, attending summer youth camps at St. Henry’s Catholic Church, and joining his family for end-of-summer retreats to Chain ‘O Lakes State Park. He sometimes dreamed of being a YouTube influencer or video game designer. When he was younger, he designed several games on Roblox including one for other children to visit the beach like he had on Grand Bahama Island and in the early days of his illness, he proudly built a custom gaming computer. He participated in sports – running track and playing basketball in middle school. He trained hard to make the high school team and had hoped to have a backyard court to help recover from cancer. This summer he also hoped to plant the biggest garden ever and planted seedlings of sunflowers, beans, peas, watermelon, broccoli, daisies, peppers and other plants. In a typically nurturing fashion, he planted flowers near his veggies to attract pollinators and create a healthy, organic ecosystem for his plant babies. Standing six feet tall, with sparkling amber eyes and a deep, baritone voice, he was a unique and quirky child with a smile that was as broad as his shoulders and quick as his wit. He was full of mischief and kindness and felt a deep need to protect the vulnerable, such as butterflies, bees, and other children who were bullied. Jelani was an imaginative, vivid, and accomplished storyteller who often prefaced his stories about outlandish things he had seen, read, or done by saying, “Just to let you know…” At just 15, he already lived up to the meaning of his name, “mighty” and already embodied the characteristics that come to mind when people hear the term “good man.”

Jelani is survived by his mom, Tanisha (Edward Coney), father and stepmother, William “Buck” (LaToya), twin sister, Azaria, little twin sisters, Everlee and Eden; brothers, William Jermaine Williams of Atlanta, GA and Juan Lamont Williams of Fort Wayne; grandparents, Mike and Sandra Pratt; uncles, Marc D. Washington Jr. (Shalanda Newell-Woodfin) of Fort Wayne, and Juan Gorman (Adrianne) of Fort Wayne; aunt, Elaine Marsh of Fort Wayne; and twin nieces, Kaliyah and Kalifah Williams. Jelani was loved and treated like a son by godparents Cortney “Uncle CJ” Carlisle-Davis (Ken) of Springfield, Mo., Jacquita “Auntie Kita” McKinney and Cason Tice of Southfield, MI, LaVonna Webb of Tampa, FL, Nkechi and Pastor Rotimi Wan of Fort Wayne, and Shirona Gunawardhana of Fort Wayne. He is also survived by his god sister, Kayla Miller of Fort Wayne, stepbrother, Lydell Trainor of Fort Wayne; god grandparents, Ken and Sally Miller of Fort Wayne, and great-grandmother, Barbara Washington of Richmond, IN. He leaves behind a host of extremely loving and supportive great aunts, great uncles, cousins, educators, coaches, clergy, and friends.

Jelani was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, William and Lizzie Logan, and beloved maternal grandfather, Marc Duane Washington Sr., who passed on the same day in 2015. Jelani was also preceded in death by his aunts, Tahirih Marcella Washington-Gorman, Danyell Fifer, and Patricia Turner, and stepbrother, J'Keveous Hampton.

A gathering of family & friends for Jelani will be held on Saturday, May 31, 2025, from 8:30 am to 10:00 am at Imani Baptist Temple, 2920 Indiana Ave, Fort Wayne, IN 46807. A celebration of his life will follow at 10:00 am. with entombment in Covington Memorial Gardens.