Funeral Information
Location:
Ruby Funeral Services & Crematories
Date: 01-26-2024
Time: 10:00 AM
Time: 10:00 AM
Visitation Information
Location:
Ruby Funeral Services & Crematories 1520 East Washington Street, Springfield, Illinois 62703
Date: 01-26-2024
Time: 9:00 AM
Time: 9:00 AM
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Obituary
Ahmed Choma (Arthur James Harris, Jr.) departed this life on January 10, 2024, at Springfield Memorial Hospital. He was born on January 4, 1946, in Detroit, Michigan, the son of the late Beaulah Vandell (Ewing) Harris and the late Arthur James Harris, Sr. He and his sister, Delores Valerie (Harris) Jefferson, were reared by their parents in Detroit, Michigan until the early death of their mother in 1947 and the untimely passing of their father in 1957. Thereafter, they were reared by their loving grandparents, the late Bell and Ada (Sanders) Ewing in Springfield, Illinois.
Choma, as he was affectionately called, married Ramata Oluseyi (Joe Ann Sims) Choma on January 15, 1970, and divorced in 1977. From this union, he became the father of Kamili Oluseyi Choma Leath and Dr. Kimathi Iben Ahmed Choma. He later married Althea “Marcia” L. Davis on May 20, 1982, and the two divorced on June 24, 1993. From their blended families he gained two bonus sons, Kurt O. Lewis and Troy O. Lewis.
Ahmed Choma was an avid reader and mentor who shared his love for people of African descent and his life philosophies with family, friends, and anyone with whom he engaged in conversation. He attended and graduated from Feitshans High School in 1963 where he was a member of the wrestling and gymnastics teams. He continued his education by enrolling in college courses at Sangamon State University (University of Illinois, Springfield), before going to California where he took college courses as well. Later he moved to Chicago where he studied mortuary science. During his professional career he served in the United States Air Force and held many other positions, including ground transportation driver at Orlando International Airport, security guard at a local Springfield elementary school, and property manager for the City of Springfield.
He was an organizer at The Center Book Store & Research Center, which became an Afrocentric community for Black Nationalist thought and Conscious connection. He hosted community dinners and helped bring Afrocentric lecturers to Springfield. He was also a member of New Paradigm Study Group and The Afrikan Village & Cultural Center both in St. Louis, Missouri. Even after his eyesight diminished, he continued to learn new skills, including bus travel, basic cooking as an unsighted person, and other independent living skills. He attended book clubs, continued to mentor others, and sought continuous connection with those he loved. Always armed with something to give away, Ahmed Choma was loving, affectionate, knowledgeable, and direct in communicating his opinions. He readily expressed gratitude and welcomed love from his family. He will be greatly missed and his memory will live on through his family and friends.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Beulah Vandell (Ewing) Harris; father, Arthur James Harris, Sr.; and sister, Delores Valerie (Harris) Jefferson; as well as his grandparents, Bell and Ada (Sanders) Ewing; aunts, Erma (Ewing) Taylor, Estelle Ewing, and Della Ewing; uncles, James Ewing and Orville Ewing; and cousins, Wardell Davenport, Hugh Taylor, and Amondo Taylor.
He leaves a host of family and friends to cherish his memory including his former wives, Ramata Choma and Marcia Davis; daughter, Kamili Oluseyi Choma Leath (husband, Pastor Jonathan Leath) of Moorestown, NJ; son, Dr. Kimathi Iben Ahmed Choma (wife, Dr. Tosha Kabara Sampson-Choma) of Manhattan, KS; step-sons, Kurt O. Lewis and Troy O. Lewis (wife, Jalila A. Wahid); niece, Tamala Tamu Sukari Choma, Esq. (husband, McCorney Severin) of Los Angeles, CA; and grandchildren, Jael Alicia Leath, Kimathi Isaiah Ajani Choma, Jonathan Mishael Choma Leath, Joshua David Leath, Kiaria Imani Oyana Choma, Joel Kaleb Oluseyi Leath, Izeiah D. Lewis, Triniti L. Lewis, Jamila M. Lewis, and Jaivyn T. Lewis.
Additional relatives include his aunt, Ruby Vandell (Ewing) Smith; cousins, Yolanda Smith, Kemy (Smith) Brown (husband, James), Deborah Ewing, James Orville Ewing (wife, Brenda), and Steven Richie (wife, Bernice); and great-nieces, Saliha Tamu Sukari Choma-Severin and Mahalet Tamu Sukari Choma-Severin.
Choma’s community also included a host of cousins, relatives, and friends, including but not limited to Yusef Sudah, Idris Qadeem, George Madden, Barbara Renwick, Micheal Crump, Freda Davenport, Tim Peay, James “Quafa” Steward, James Price, Linda Forehand, Ed Madden, Bobby Rashad, Carole Vetter, Raaw’El Ware, Dr. Jeffrey Hubbard, James Burgess, and Yusif Bandagou.
Choma, as he was affectionately called, married Ramata Oluseyi (Joe Ann Sims) Choma on January 15, 1970, and divorced in 1977. From this union, he became the father of Kamili Oluseyi Choma Leath and Dr. Kimathi Iben Ahmed Choma. He later married Althea “Marcia” L. Davis on May 20, 1982, and the two divorced on June 24, 1993. From their blended families he gained two bonus sons, Kurt O. Lewis and Troy O. Lewis.
Ahmed Choma was an avid reader and mentor who shared his love for people of African descent and his life philosophies with family, friends, and anyone with whom he engaged in conversation. He attended and graduated from Feitshans High School in 1963 where he was a member of the wrestling and gymnastics teams. He continued his education by enrolling in college courses at Sangamon State University (University of Illinois, Springfield), before going to California where he took college courses as well. Later he moved to Chicago where he studied mortuary science. During his professional career he served in the United States Air Force and held many other positions, including ground transportation driver at Orlando International Airport, security guard at a local Springfield elementary school, and property manager for the City of Springfield.
He was an organizer at The Center Book Store & Research Center, which became an Afrocentric community for Black Nationalist thought and Conscious connection. He hosted community dinners and helped bring Afrocentric lecturers to Springfield. He was also a member of New Paradigm Study Group and The Afrikan Village & Cultural Center both in St. Louis, Missouri. Even after his eyesight diminished, he continued to learn new skills, including bus travel, basic cooking as an unsighted person, and other independent living skills. He attended book clubs, continued to mentor others, and sought continuous connection with those he loved. Always armed with something to give away, Ahmed Choma was loving, affectionate, knowledgeable, and direct in communicating his opinions. He readily expressed gratitude and welcomed love from his family. He will be greatly missed and his memory will live on through his family and friends.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Beulah Vandell (Ewing) Harris; father, Arthur James Harris, Sr.; and sister, Delores Valerie (Harris) Jefferson; as well as his grandparents, Bell and Ada (Sanders) Ewing; aunts, Erma (Ewing) Taylor, Estelle Ewing, and Della Ewing; uncles, James Ewing and Orville Ewing; and cousins, Wardell Davenport, Hugh Taylor, and Amondo Taylor.
He leaves a host of family and friends to cherish his memory including his former wives, Ramata Choma and Marcia Davis; daughter, Kamili Oluseyi Choma Leath (husband, Pastor Jonathan Leath) of Moorestown, NJ; son, Dr. Kimathi Iben Ahmed Choma (wife, Dr. Tosha Kabara Sampson-Choma) of Manhattan, KS; step-sons, Kurt O. Lewis and Troy O. Lewis (wife, Jalila A. Wahid); niece, Tamala Tamu Sukari Choma, Esq. (husband, McCorney Severin) of Los Angeles, CA; and grandchildren, Jael Alicia Leath, Kimathi Isaiah Ajani Choma, Jonathan Mishael Choma Leath, Joshua David Leath, Kiaria Imani Oyana Choma, Joel Kaleb Oluseyi Leath, Izeiah D. Lewis, Triniti L. Lewis, Jamila M. Lewis, and Jaivyn T. Lewis.
Additional relatives include his aunt, Ruby Vandell (Ewing) Smith; cousins, Yolanda Smith, Kemy (Smith) Brown (husband, James), Deborah Ewing, James Orville Ewing (wife, Brenda), and Steven Richie (wife, Bernice); and great-nieces, Saliha Tamu Sukari Choma-Severin and Mahalet Tamu Sukari Choma-Severin.
Choma’s community also included a host of cousins, relatives, and friends, including but not limited to Yusef Sudah, Idris Qadeem, George Madden, Barbara Renwick, Micheal Crump, Freda Davenport, Tim Peay, James “Quafa” Steward, James Price, Linda Forehand, Ed Madden, Bobby Rashad, Carole Vetter, Raaw’El Ware, Dr. Jeffrey Hubbard, James Burgess, and Yusif Bandagou.