Bakhit Kourman Jr.

On Saturday, March 6, 2021, Bakhit Kourman Jr. tragically passed away at the age of 24. Bakhit was a wonderful brother and friend. His love for his mom and dad was as deep as the ocean. No one had better skills as an uncle, and it showed in the joy he brought his niece and nephews. He was bright and smiling, brave and true. A reliable brother and closest friend.

Bakhit Jr. was born May 5, 1996 in Winston Salem, North Carolina to Koulnara and Bakhit Kourman Sr. He attended Calvary Baptist Day School for twelve years until graduating in 2014. Bakhit enjoyed studying literature and playing tennis on the Varsity Men’s Tennis Team for Calvary. A dedicated team member, he diligently studied, made time for practice, and, especially, enjoyed taking part in Youth Mission trips and service activities. He thrived being in service to others and sharing in Christian Fellowship. Following graduation, Bakhit attended Wake Forest University, where he studied economics and was actively involved with Wake Forest’s Army ROTC program. He led and volunteered in numerous fundraising and community service projects with ROTC until he graduated and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Wake Forest University in 2018.

Bakhit then enlisted in the North Carolina Army National Guard. He was proud to serve and deeply cared about his brothers and sisters in arms. He was driven to not only to be a good Soldier and leader but prioritized the well-being of the soldiers he met and the people he served. For his recent achievements as First Lieutenant Kourman, serving as Battle Captain, 883rd Engineer Company, during the period of April 8, 2020 through August 7, 2020, Bakhit received a medal for meritorious achievement and outstanding service during the COVID-19 relief efforts to the people of NC. He served as Team East Officer in Charge during the COVID-19 pandemic response, managing 81 soldiers from seven companies and two major subordinate commands. While collecting daily story board and operational metrics from each location, he submitted Serious Incident Reports and worked diligently to ensure that Soldiers were engaged and were successful in safely meeting and exceeding mission requirements and goals in their work with the Second Harvest Food Bank’s direct meal distribution within the community.

First Lieutenant Kourman’s leadership, professionalism, strong work-ethic and commitment to the mission was recognized in managing operations at the Second Harvest Food Bank’s three separate warehouse work locations and a distribution location. His leadership enabled Team East to complete over 2.9 million pounds of Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program orders, re-grade 32,000 pounds of eggs, repackage 380,000 pounds of donated products, pick-up and deliver of 1 million pounds of donations, and ship over 3.8 million partner agency meals. His soldiers and the Second Harvest Food Bank’s team prepared 150,000 meals and handled 1.8 million pounds of food in the warehouses. In addition, he helped establish a mobile pantry to provide food for families. Bakhit was eager to serve in the 505th Engineer Battalion of the North Carolina Army National Guard and let his strong dedication to service show daily. He greatly cared about each mission’s success, Soldiers’ health and wellness, and the wellness of the community.

At home, Bakhit was a loving son and the very best brother and uncle. He was funny, with quick wit and sarcasm. He was loyal and always ready to help wherever needed. Bakhit loved his family and friends, and his dogs, especially his best furry friend and Husky, Nahla. He was an avid fan of Star Wars and loved spending time with his niece and nephews. Whether he was building Legos or joining the kids in sprinkler fun outside, Bakhit was an amazing and incredibly loving uncle, and friend. He is so missed.

He was preceded in death by his older brother, Gabiden. He is survived by his parents, his grandmothers Raisa and Manat, his sister Rima and brother-in-law Aaron, and their five children Nikita, Dallas, Liam, Oliver, and Jensen, and several cousins throughout the United States and the world.

A funeral service will be held on Friday, March 26th at 10am at Westlawn Gardens of Memory. The family will receive friends for a visitation on Thursday, March 25th from 5pm – 7pm.

Memorial contributions may be made to The Gideons International or the Wounded Warrior Project.