Ms. Taiisha Jeanette DeVonish

Taiisha Jeanette DeVonish was born in New York City on July 22nd, 1979 to Shari and Daryl Devonish. Hailing from the Bronx, she made her way to Louisville, Kentucky as a young girl, where she received her education and made the friends and chosen family she would keep throughout her marvelous life. As an alumnus of DuPont Manual/YPAS, Taiisha blossomed into a promising clarinetist, the first of many skills and interests which cemented her status as one of the great nerds of all time. In 2018, she received her Bachelor of Science in Applied Geography from the University of Louisville. But the clarinet and rocks were just the beginning of the avocations and obsessions that would decorate Taiisha’s beautiful time on this planet. She loved music, but most of all Bjork, who she venerated as a goddess amongst mere earthlings. Other groups like Depeche Mode also made the grade. She frequented Comic Cons, absorbing movies and pop culture. From video games to British comedies to trips to Disney, she was the ultimate lover of all the thrills that the creative world had to offer. Wherever she went, Taiisha left beauty: from her drawings to the plethora of creative hairstyles and stylish wardrobe. If you were lucky, you got to witness one of her truly uplifting karaoke performances of hits like “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” or perhaps a hit from Atlantic Star or the musical, “Little Shop Of Horrors.” She loved tiny houses and great big music festivals, especially Bonnaroo at which she was a returning champion. The nurses who cared for her during her last days in the hospital may have been surprised by her Coachella 2024 bracelet, which had ended merely days before, but anyone that knew her wouldn’t be. She rode through her last festival as royalty, tended to by her girls and the staff. She paraded through on golf carts as if they were chariots, the queen of the ball. It is a cliche to say that someone loved life, but in Taiisha’s case, the cliche was absolutely true. She treasured her life, squeezed every second out of it, and fought with more power than any jedi or superhero to live her life long enough to see the first black Doctor Who on the BBC. She loved her friends fiercely and they loved her back with equal ferocity. If she loved you, you stayed loved. If she gave you a gift, it was given with care and in such a way that you knew you were seen by her. While famous for her “Irish exits,” on April 22, 2024, Taiisha left the last party surrounded and seen on her deathbed by no less than twenty four family members and friends, including several exes who still actually liked her. She is survived by her parents, Shari and Daryl DeVonish, her brothers, Darrell and Omar DeVonish, her sisters, Monique Florence and Amy Spears, her partner, Adam Jobson, her nieces and nephews, Naomi DeVonish, Britini Jackson, Shaquana DeVonish Mason, Giovanni DeVonish, Tyler Perkins, Samir Florence, Samijai Florence, Samarae Candy Cousin and Amanda Zilka, her colleagues at Hydromax USA and her cats, Mia and Nanos.

Ms. Taiisha Jeanette DeVonish

July 22, 1979 - April 22, 2024