Davion Ornell Smith

On the 29th day of June 1994 at 8:30 PM, Davion Ornell Smith was born unto Cori Mckee and Oria Smith in Riverside, California. Davion was the eldest out of eight children, five maternal and two paternal. Davion was a happy, energetic, and an unfiltered young man. Davion was also kind-hearted, well known and always had a smile on his face. Davion always showed his passion for sports. As an adolescent, he loved to play basketball as well as a number of other sports. Raised in Perris, California he met many people including lifelong friends Daniel and Isaac Leal. They shared their friendship for over 15 years.

Davion was diagnosed at birth with a life-threatening disease called Sickle Cell Anemia. Due to this illness, Davion had frequent hospital visits but that did not stop his quirky sense of humor or his vibrant personality. Even when he would be in a tremendous amount of pain, Davion managed to make everyone around him smile. For the past 23 years he battled this life-threatening disease and he refused to let this disease define who he was. Due to his illness, Davion was unable to finish school because of his frequent hospital stays. However, he looked forward to going back to school to first obtain his GED and then to obtain a degree in Automotive and Business Management. Davion wanted to be a mechanic and own his very own auto repair shop. That was one of the many goals Davion had. He always pushed himself and always strived to be the best at whatever he pursued. Even when he knew he wasn't feeling well, he would still force himself to keep going and he has been like that from his childhood and into his adulthood. He always kept in mind one of the many things his mother instilled in him, "A winner never quits and a quitter never wins."

On the 4th day of June 2017, Davion lost his battle against sickle cell at the young age of 23. Davion is survived by his parents Cori Mckee and Oria Smith of Hemet, California. His brothers and sisters Darrion, Deven, Israel, Jaylyn, Jaydyn, Orianisha of Hemet, California and Dominique of Suwanee, Georgia. He also leaves his maternal grandmother Brenda Rogers, who instilled a lot of wisdom in him, aunts, uncles, and numerous cousins. Davion has one way or another touched many hearts and left a permanent impression on people who he crossed paths with. Davion is loved by many and missed by all. Our world will never be the same without hearing the laughter and the sound of his voice. However, everyone finds solace in knowing Davion is no longer suffering and that is a good feeling.