KEVON DRE BURGESS, KNOWN TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS AS “DRE”, WAS BORN JUNE 3, 1994 IN LANCASTER CALIFORNIA. THE FIRST-BORN SON TO KEVIN AND RAYNAY BURGESS WAS A TREASURED SON, SPOILED GRANDCHILD, WISE LITTLE BIG BROTHER, REVERED NEPHEW, A LOVING HUSBAND, AN EXCEPTIONAL FATHER, A LOVING COUSIN AND A CHERISHED FRIEND. KEVON'S RADIANT SMILE AND QUICK LAUGHTER BRIGHTEN EVERY ROOM HE ENTERED. HE SPENT HIS EARLY CHILDHOOD IN LAKE LA, THEN MOVED TO LANCASTER CALIFORNIA. HE LOVED CARS, THE LION KING, HE WAS SPORTS FANATIC, BUT BASKETBALL WAS HIS FAVORITE. KEVON ATTENDED SUNNYDALE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, ARMARGOSA MIDDLE SCHOOL, AND QUARTZ HILL HIGH SCHOOL. HE PLAYED BASKETBALL FOR THE YMCA, HE ATTENDED CERRITOS COLLEGE WHILE LIVING WITH HIS NANA, HE GOT A CLASS A LICENSE, HE BECAME A CERTIFIED FIRE CAMP CREW, AND HE MOST RECENTLY RECEIVED A CERTIFICATE IN COMP TIA A+ CERTIFICATION FROM LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY. DRE AS CHILD LOVED HAVING A BIG SISTER AND HE WOULD FOLLOW AMBER BURGESS (AKA WHITEY, SNOWFLAKE) AROUND EVERYWHERE SHE WENT. IN HIS OLDER YEARS HE LOVED MAKING WHITEY COOK SOMETHING GOOD FOR HIS TUMMY. DRE WAS A LOVING AND CONSIDERATE BIG BROTHER TO KARISMA (BIZZY RIZZY, SITTER) AND RAYNALL (POODA) BURGESS. HE ALWAYS REMINDED HIS SISTERS HOW BEAUTIFUL THEY ARE WITH HIS RANDOM TEXTS, AND HE LOVED PLAYING BASKETBALL MAKING POODA DO PUSH-UPS AS PAYMENT FOR LOSING (WHICH HE HATED DOING). MONOPOLY WAS THE HOUSE GAME GROWING UP IN THE BURGESS HOUSEHOLD, THIS WAS HOW DRE LEARNED HOW TO DEAL WITH MONEY THANKS TO HIS DAD KEVIN. THESE GAMES ALWAYS ENDED UP WITH SOMEONE GETTING MAD BECAUSE HE AND DAD GOT CAUGHT CHEATING (SINCE DAD ALWAYS HAD TO BE THE BANKER). LOL!! DRE LOVED FAMILY SO MUCH THAT HE WENT AND STARTED HIS OWN.

THE SUMMER OF 2016 IS WHERE IT ALL BEGAN. TWO YOUNG HEARTS, STILL GROWING AND STILL LEARNING, COLLIDED IN THE MIDDLE OF ORDINARY LIFE. SOMEHOW, WALMART BECAME THE STARTING POINT OF NEARLY A DECADE OF MEMORIES. A SIMPLE MOMENT LED TO A SIMPLE QUESTION, “CAN I RAP TO YOU.” NO ONE COULD HAVE KNOWN THEN THAT IT WOULD ONE DAY LEAD TO “WILL YOU MARRY ME.” FROM THAT DAY FORWARD, LOVE TOOK ROOT. HE STEPPED INTO A READY-MADE FAMILY WITH COURAGE AND GRACE, BECOMING A STEADY FATHER FIGURE TO TWO BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN BENTLEY AND HARLEY. IT WAS NEVER ABOUT OBLIGATION; IT WAS ALWAYS ABOUT LOVE. AS THEIR BOND DEEPENED, SO DID THEIR FAMILY. IN AUGUST 2020, LIFE SURPRISED HIM WITH DOUBLE THE BLESSING, TWIN GIRLS, RYDER AND KAPRI BURGESS. WHAT HE THOUGHT WOULD BE ONE BECAME TWO BEAUTIFUL REFLECTIONS OF HIS HEART. THEN, IN JULY 2022, THEY WELCOMED THEIR YOUNGEST DAUGHTER, NOVAH BURGESS, COMPLETING A FAMILY BUILT ON DEVOTION AND FAITH. THROUGH EVERY HIGH AND EVERY LOW, THEIR LOVE REMAINED REAL, MEANINGFUL, AND EVERLASTING, THE KIND OF LOVE NOT EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS BUT ONE THAT THOSE WHO WITNESSED IT WILL NEVER FORGET. TIME MAY FEEL SHORTENED, BUT THE MEMORIES ARE ENDLESS. THE LAUGHTER, THE GROWTH, THE PROMISES, AND THE JOURNEY ALL LIVE ON. THE STORY OF THEIR LOVE WILL BE CARRIED FORWARD IN THE HEARTS OF HIS DAUGHTERS AND PASSED DOWN FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

KEVON HAD TWO AUNTS, MELANIE REEVES & KANDI BURGESS, GRANDMOTHER KATHY REEVES, GRANDFATHER STEVEN BURGESS & KEVIN TYLER WHO PRECEDED HIM IN DEATH.

HE LEAVES TO MOURN HIS PARENTS KEVIN BURGESS (ERIKA MCAFEE), RAYNAY BURGESS, OLDER SISTER AMBER BURGESS, YOUNGER SISTER KARISMA (BURGESS) SANFORD (QUEEN SANFORD), HIS WIFE KEYOUNA HINES, 4 DAUGHTERS HARLEY, KAPRI, RYDER, NOVAH, 1 SON BENTLEY, GRANDMOTHER PHYLLIS HARRIS, NEPHEWS DAMARI AND DAMIR HARGRAVE, A HOST OF UNCLES, AUNTS, COUSINS, AND FRIENDS.