OBITUARY

Mukeke Hindovei James was born on July 8, 1991, in Philadelphia, PA to Moses and Jenneh James. He was the youngest of three children. His siblings were Munda James and Mafei James. He spent his early years in Philadelphia and most of his childhood and teenage years in East Lansdowne. Growing up, he was fondly known amongst his immediate family and friends as “Muke” and to his closest friends, “Muksta Pop” and “Muksta”.

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For two years, he lived in Sierra Leone with his aunt, Amie Kandeh and cousin Kewoma Tejan-Kella. While in Sierra Leone he attended the International Academy of Science and Business Studies in Freetown. He then returned to the States to finish his studies at Penn Wood Senior High School, graduating in 2010. After high school, he attended Temple University’s Fox School of Business and Management graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance. After Temple, Muke took his drive, talents and ambition to Charlotte, North Carolina to work in the finance industry where his last role as a Senior Advisor was with Equitable Financial Services and Insurance.

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In Charlotte, he met his girlfriend and expecting mother of his child, Samaiyah Chatmon. On their love, Samaiyah is quoted as saying, “You broke the mold on what love is…” and he was “a great man, son, brother, friend and soon-to-be father.”

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Muke’s love for serving his community translated into his involvement in organizations such as the Society of Emerging African Leaders (SEAL) and the Sierra Leonean Youth Association (SLYA). He also displayed an extreme love for sports, with his favorite teams being all of the Philadelphia teams and his all time favorite being the UK futbol team, Liverpool.

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Muke and his siblings were together in August of 2021 where he got to see some of his closest family and friends for the last time.

 

To all who came across him, Muke was known for being the light in any room for any occasion. His contagious laughter and loving spirit will forever live on. He is survived by his parents, Moses and Jenneh James; siblings Munda James and Mafei James; paternal grandmother, Mafei Nana James-Twawo; girlfriend Samaiyah Chatmon; and several uncles, aunties, cousins and friends both here in the US, Sierra Leone and abroad.