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Born in Paterson, Jakeem Ortiz died on Tuesday, Sept. 13, three days after he was left with a traumatic brain injury due to a “horrific accident,” according to a GoFundMe launched for his funeral expenses.
“Jakeem suffered a horrific accident, he suffered a traumatic brain injury and although his body is still with us Jakeem is no longer there,” reads the fundraiser, which had earned nearly $2,900 before donations had been disabled.
Jakeem, who was adopted into the family when he was just 14 months old, is described in the campaign as full of intelligence and loved by many. He lived in Clifton before settling in Passaic several years ago, his obituary says.
“…The day we saw him for the first time we fell in love with his beautiful [chubby] cheeks,” reads the fundraiser.
“He was the first of 4 children we adopted into our family and he was such a smart kid, he even learned how to read Spanish on his own at a young age, his favorite song was Atrevate from Calle 13.”
Jakeem leaves behind his mother, Isabel; his brothers, Orlando, Roberto and Nicholas; his sisters, Maciel and Jessica Lakaya; as well as several extended family members and close friends.
Jakeem’s funeral was held at Shook Funeral Home in Clifton on Monday, Sept. 19. Cremation was private.
Click here to view the full obituary of Jakeem Ortiz.
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