Kenya La'Nay Valentine,18, of Benton Harbor transitioned on July 6, 2017. Services will be held on Friday, July 14, 2017 at New Bethel Baptist Church, 2272 Townline Rd., Benton Harbor, MI. Viewing at 11am and services at noon. 

Kenya was born April 23, 1999 to the union of Tipton Walker and Joi Wynette Whaley in Kalamazoo, MI.
Kenya affectionately known as "Strawberry" was loving, kind and warm. Kenya volunteered weekly at Lakeland Memorial Hospital. She worked at Henry's Hamburgers  for the past 2 years and recently graduated from Countryside Academy. While enrolled in Countryside she was a member of the volleyball team. Kenya was enrolled at Southwestern Michigan College for the fall. She was a loving sister, daughter, granddaughter, niece, cousin and friend. She will be greatly missed.

She is survived by her father, Tipton Walker of Benton Harbor; great grandmother,Lena Phillips of Benton Harbor; grandmother,Sonia Marie (Willard) McAfee of Benton Harbor; grandmother,Naomi Valentine of Benton Harbor; sister,Jordan Gillespie of Benton Harbor; brothers, Delrecco Gillespie and Brian Gillespie of Benton Harbor; great aunts, Lesley (Tony) Terrell of Benton Harbor and Yolonda Bogan of Kansas City, MO; great uncle, Tracy Whaley of Kansas, MO; aunts: Monique Whaley of Benton Harbor, Quacy (Desmond) Timmons, Pine Mountain, GA, and Danielle Purnell of Benton Harbor; uncles: Frank Barnes of Nashville, TN, Robert Whaley of Layton, UT and Dominic Johnson of Benton Harbor; cousins,Taryn and Taylor Timmons, Trenell Bell, Robert Whaley Jr, Kamari Whaley Stovall, Denim Whaley, Dominic Bell. Special Cousin, Veniqua, Donmicka, Sanehi, Candace, Diani, Tahir; special friends: Esperanza, Kalilah Elizabeth, Isabella, Kyra, Billy, Semaj; godfather, Bill Coleman; godmothers, Shalise Coleman of Benton Harbor and Dorie Gladney of Jersey City, NJ; and host of cousins, aunts, uncles, family and friends.

Kenya was proceeded in death by her mother, Joi Whaley and paternal great grand parents, Frank and Julia Bar.
 

 Service Information