Jeremiah Essien had a heart to match his muscular frame, and it was that heart that made people call him “Big ‘Miah,” friends and family said before a candlelight vigil Monday night.
“Little kids would run up to him to get a hug and a smile,” said Anastacia Cox, the mother of the 16-year-old who was killed in traffic while trying to catch a bus Sept. 5.
His funeral is 11 a.m. Wednesday at the CCI Charter School, 11200 E. 45th Ave. in Montbello, where he was enrolled.
Monday night, 10 friends and family members gathered at the bus stop at 14th Street and Federal Boulevard, where Jeremiah died. They prayed and laughed about his joyful spirit, even as the No. 30, which Jeremiah had been riding, came and went.
Jeremiah was hustling off one city bus to catch another across the street when he was hit.
“The police said, essentially, it was his fault,” Cox said.
At King Soopers in Mayfair Plaza at 13th Avenue and Krameria Street, where Jeremiah worked, friends remembered his warmth and humor.
“He always said he wanted to be a comedian, and he was real funny,” said Eddie Anthony, 18, who had attended East High School with Jeremiah.
Customer Harv Bondurant said he was sad to hear the news about the “gentle giant.”
“You couldn’t say no to that kid,” Bondurant said. “He insisted on helping. He was so talkative and so friendly, you could tell he liked people.”
Jeremiah’s cousin, Emem Ekiko, 23, remembered how Jeremiah loved to dance. “Our family had hoped he’d really go far,” she said. “He had lots of goals for his life.”
Jeremiah’s mother counted her blessings for having a good son who cared so much for the feelings of others, who friends said never said an unkind word about anyone.
“Jeremiah — I’m not going to say ‘was’ — is a blessing to so many others,” she said. “He always will be.”
Joey Bunch: 303-954-1174 or jbunch@denverpost.com
