On May 29, 2021, Ja’Niyah Lee Herring passed away at the age of 5 years old. She was preceded in death by a great aunt that loved her dearly, Anika Bethune.

Ja’Niyah was the light of our lives, always happy. We were amazed about the wildness of her imagination about lions, bears & tigers to name a few. She loved unicorns just not nearly as much as she loved her siblings. That little girl was rare, a one of a kind, her life was short-lived but she touched many lives while she was here. Ja’Niyah got a kick out of watching Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, Hawk Moth was her favorite character. She always pretended to be Hawk Moth, he was the bad guy. When you think of the sun shining after the rain, that’s like our Niya, her presence with that radiant smile that made a bad day seem not so bad.

Ja’Niyah leaves to cherish her memories a loving mother, Jamie Bethune, her biological father Cedric Herring and Javonne Mays who adored her. Six beautiful sisters: Khariyah, Auriah, Armani, Leyric, Ilaina and Jar’Via; one handsome brother: Alexander O’neal. Caring grandparents: Edda “Mookie” Gonzalez, Beverly Denson, James “Papa” Bethune and Corey Thornton, Sr. Supportive Godparents: Summer and Justin Voorhes; God siblings: Andrew and Laila Malcolm. Several aunts, uncles and cousins who she loved.

Viewing will be held at Watts Funeral Home Friday, June 5, 2pm-8pm, Saturday, June 6, 9am-1pm.