In response to the fire on Barnes Avenue in Wakefield, which killed 5-year-old Kashmir Marquis earlier this month, the northeast Bronx community joined together with balloons on Wednesday night to pay their respects to the toddler’s family.
The Jan. 10 memorial drew a crowd of more than 200 people including family members, friends and northeast Bronx residents, who remembered Marquis as a fun-loving kid. The memorial also included a slideshow displaying pictures of Marquis along with pictures of him and his mother, Keyion Gonzales-Marquis, while the instrumental of Puff Daddy’s song “I’ll Be Missing You” played in the background.
Gonzales-Marquis said her son was a happy, playful, loving and energetic kid who was also very independent for his age. He enjoyed all activities, especially basketball and skating, the latter of which was self-taught.
Marquis went to private school at Our Lady of Grace, then the Susan Wagner Day School, before he attended P.S. 21 The Philip Sheridan School, the same institution where Gonzales-Marquis was school president and valedictorian during her tenure as a student.
“He didn’t need to follow the exact path I took, but when I was raising Kashmir I felt like I was raising a better version of myself,” Gonzales-Marquis said
She said her son also loved pizza and would always shout out, “It’s a pizza party,” whenever pizza was in the household.
“I don’t wish this pain on anybody. No parent, no person, should ever have to feel this way,” Gonzales-Marquis added. “However, I will always have the memories and that is what is giving me strength right now.”
Gonzales-Marquis, who has always resided at 4011 Barnes Ave., said that she plans on doing something in response to the tragedy and raised the possibility of starting a nonprofit organization in Kashmir’s name, to make sure her son’s legacy lives on.
“This is not the end. You will hear my son’s name again,” Gonzales-Marquis said while holding back tears. “I’m going to do something that will make my son’s legacy last forever.”
Other family members are attempting to handle their grief while making sure they are still present to support Gonzales-Marquis.
“Our family is mourning the loss of Kash(mir), following a tragedy which is unlike anything we’ve ever experienced,” said Shanlander Tobee, Gonzales-Marquis’ cousin, who organized the memorial event. “We are all rallying around Keyion and surrounding her with love and support, which is all anyone can do for her right now.”
Tobee added that the tragedy of losing Marquis is the most difficult situation the family has ever had to face.
“All we can do right now is pray and rely on our faith,” Tobee added. “Please pray for our continued strength during this difficult time.”
At 6:06 p.m., the time Marquis passed away after being transported to New York Health + Hospitals/Jacobi following the fire, those in attendance who came to the memorial to pay their respects released their balloons into the sky to pay their respects in tribute of the 5-year old boy.
The balloons came in all shapes and sizes, and a few in attendance even held balloons in the shape of a “5,” signifying Marquis’ age.
Marquis, an only child, had just turned 5 a couple of weeks prior to the tragedy, on Dec. 19, according to the family.
A GoFundMe campaign was launched a couple of days after Marquis’ death to generate funds for funeral expenses, as well as for home repairs at the Barnes Avenue residence. The page has raised over $16,000 of a $30,000 goal in just over a week, as of Friday afternoon.
The Bronx Times reached out to the FDNY to inquire regarding the cause of the fire, but did not receive a response as of press time. On Jan. 4, the day after the fire occurred, the FDNY confirmed that the cause of the fire was still under investigation.
Reach Steven Goodstein at sgoodstein@schnepsmedia.com or (718) 260–8326. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
