De'Aaron Donyell Paige

Obituary For De'Aaron Donyell Paige

Funeral services will be Saturday, September 4, 2021 at 1:00 p.m., Westhaven Memorial Funeral Home Chapel, 2132 Simpson Highway 49, Magee, MS 39111 with burial in Gregory Cemetery in Magee, MS 39111.

De’Aaron Donyell Paige was born on April 4, 1984 in Magee, Mississippi to Reverend Dr. Donald and Magdalene Paige. At an early age, he accepted Christ as his Savior and served in multiple roles in the church, from usher to a drummer. De’Aaron was a member of Magee First Baptist, but as a Pastor’s kid, he enjoyed the fellowship of the churches his dad pastored. The final stamp in his passport was stamped on August 27, 2021 at Wellstar Keenestone Hospital in Marietta, Georgia.

De’Aaron, also known as “D” or “Scooby”, was a 2002 graduate of Magee High School. He attended Belhaven University on multiple scholarships and later transferred to Virginia College where he received his Associates degree in Electronics. As a certified 12 volt specialist, De’Aaron became the owner of Mobile Illuzions where the slogan was “What’s in your Trunk?” As the owner of Mobile Illuzions, he specialized in providing the “hardest hittin’ and the loudest tweetin’ for car audio. One of the highlights of his business was competing in sound competitions and going to ‘Scrapin’ the Coast’ and placing in his division. He later worked as a service technician at AT&T for 10 years.

While working at AT&T, he had the opportunity to travel the US and work alongside others climbing poles and fixing telephone lines. From that experience, his desire to travel was ignited. On February 4, 2018, he became one of the visionary founders of Blacktravelgram, a company dedicated to encouraging black and brown people to travel the world. Blacktravelgram became an instant success and was soon seen as a pillar in the Black Travel community.

As an avid traveler, De’Aaron wanted everyone to experience the world from not just images in a book but through their own experiences. He enjoyed planning small excursions from a trip to the beach to cruises with family. De’Aaron’s passion led him to partnering with tour guides across the world to curate over 25 group trips from Iceland to South Africa and any picturesque place in between. De’Aaron could be seen throwing his hands up from the Great Wall of China to standing on the equator in Ecuador. He lived his best life whether it was basking in the solitude of Thailand or cruising the beach in a vintage car in Cuba. He took pride in giving back to children in Kenya, Ghana, Cuba, and Colombia. De’ Aaron’s most memorable trip was when he brought “Mississippi to Mexico” to celebrate his birthday.

Up until his death, De’Aaron and his wife resided in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico as expats where they developed one of most popular travel experiences in the Yucatan, The Blacktravelgram Yacht Parties in Puerto Aventuras. While in Playa del Carmen, he partnered with other entrepreneurs to not only enhance the lives of local expats, but also shine a spotlight on the successes of what it takes to live a thriving life abroad. De’Aaron has traveled to 5 continents, 32 countries, and over 20 states. In each continent, country, and state, he developed meaningful relationships that opened doors for others to immerse in unique cultural experiences. De’Aaron is a legend and well loved in not only the black travel industry but the world.

De’Aaron leaves to mourn his wife, Ashley; two children, DaMaiah Kinner and Dyson Paige; his parents, Reverend Dr. Donald and Mag Paige; sisters, Stephanie “Toot” Hubbard (Marcus); mother and father-in–law, David and Valarie McMurtry; brother-in-law, Cameron McMurtry (Erica); aunts, Patrica Carter (Morgan), Sherry Crain, Lisa Carter, Linda Franks (Willie), and Elaine Hicks; uncles, Mancil Carter, Jr. (Minnie) and James Carter; nieces and nephews Amari, Laila, Logan, Skylar, Rilynn and Jordyn; a special trusted amigo - Edgar Quiñones and a host of cousins, friends, and the BTG Travel family.

De’Aaron is preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, Joe and Lanie Wayied and maternal grandparents, Mancil and Louise Carter.