Jerome Cortez Gay was born July 15, 1980 the second child of his parents Jerome and Malinda, in Atlanta, Georgia. Cortez was a very loving, playful and happy child. He was an honorary Boy Scout with a daring and adventurous nature.
While in school Cortez despised being late, he received many awards for perfect attendance. Cortez was a very gifted athlete excelling in several sports which included: baseball, football and basketball. However, basketball was his passion. Truly if there is basketball in heaven you can be confident that he is playing the game.
He received many awards for his outstanding athleticism.
Cortez was saved at a very early age and loved the Lord with all his heart. For many years he was a member of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, in Decatur, Georgia. He was a part of the youth ministry, “Vision” and the award winning choir “Firebrand”. It was during this time that he first felt the tug at his heart to become a minister. He later became a member of Community Fellowship Church. He was very influential in helping his parents Pastors Fred& Malinda Bell in the growth of the ministry always inviting his friends and other youth to be apart. He was a great encourager.
He was a 1998 graduate of North Clayton High School in College Park, Georgia. After graduation he attended Atlanta Metropolitan College, majoring in Physical Education. Because of his passion for sports it was his desire to pour that into other children. Cortez inherited his father’s trade as a gifted Detail Technician; he worked in this field for over 14 years. He was a lover of animals of all kinds especially dogs. There were many awesome things about him but, if you were to ask anyone what they remember most about him immediately they would say his smile. Cortez was always smiling.
Outside of his love for God, was his love for family and friends, he loved family get-togethers and hanging out with his friends. He had this magnetic ability to draw others to him often times by just his smile. He was very special and loved by many. On March 18, 2009 Cortez was fatally killed in a car accident and was transitioned from this life to the next. He is survived by his father Jerome Gay, mother Malinda Bell, step-father Fred Bell, grandmothers Garrie Lee Miller and Mary Johnson, sisters Anita Green and Shanequa Gay, nephews Ancre Green, Majid Green, Jacobi Green and Yasir Shakur along with a host of cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends who love and miss him beyond measure.
The Jerome Cortez Gay Scholarship Fund was created in remembrance of Cortez and his love for the youth. Although, he is not survived by children of his own, it is our hope that this fund will plant seeds into the future of many students who dream of attending college.
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