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“In Lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) https://www.flipsnack.com/alcbf/darreyl-sippio.html https://livestream.com/accounts/7325565/darreylsippio On January 1st, 1975, in Kettering, OH, a very special baby was born on a very special day! Darreyl Amani Sippio, the 3rd child of Homer & Nell Sippio, and the 1st Boy born in the Greater Dayton, Ohio area. Darreyl was a happy infant who was loved and spoiled by a sister, 10yrs and a brother 7yrs. Darreyl loved sports and scored the winning score in his 1st soccer game at age 7. As a youngster Darreyl was unable to participate in contact sports because he had a difficult time running…however he was truly a swift walker! Darreyl accepted Christ at a young age and baptized by our late Pastor Emeritus, Reverend G. V. Clark. The summer before entering 6th grade, Darreyl was unable to stand up from a sitting position. He was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy of which there was no cure. We prayed for strength. It was tough, but Darreyl seemed to be okay. Gradually, as he experienced falls and muscle weakness, his attitude began to change. “Why me, Mom? What did I do to deserve this, Dad? Why did God let this happen to me? Darreyl was angry with God, hated going to church, and anything related to God. Our happy son changed into a bitter introvert. We attempted to explain that sometimes God permits bad things to happen to good people. God is using you. This made the situation worse. Nothing we said or did made a difference. Things began to deteriorate, we needed professional help. We made an appointment with Pastor Clark. He asked Darreyl, “why not you? God used His Son, why not you?” Forget about yourself and think of others. That’s just what Darreyl did!! He made an announcement to the church asking for donations that August. Something miraculous happened!! God gave Darreyl a spiritual uplift. God didn’t heal his body, but God healed his spirit. What a blessing! His beautiful smile returned, and God renewed the proper spirit!! At 13yrs. Darreyl experienced MDA Camp and loved it!! The 1st year Darreyl raised $300. For 34yrs he raised money and participated in the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, believing in a cure, that would someday come for others. During those 34yrs, Darreyl has raised more than $50,000, because of the love and generosity from Mt. Zion Baptist church, St John Baptist Church, family and friends across the country. Darreyl has always been smart, tech-savvy, determined and creative. He was a proud Scottie water-boy for Lamar M.S.; a hard job for him but he was determined and succeeded. One of the principals of Lamar M.S., Dr. Montgomery assigned Darreyl as an office aide, his 1st experience with office duties. In high school he served as a Page at the Texas Capitol before graduating as a ’93 McCallum Knight. Darreyl worked at Hard Target Systems and Austin Independent School District as a receptionist. The career he enjoyed the most was an associate of the Austin Writer’s League. He helped to write grants for writers. It was here this multi-talented young man published his book, “A Collage of My World”, a dynamic book of poetry. The poems are a reflection of some of his struggles and yet much of his heart passions. What an achievement!!!

Tributes

Darreyl Amani Sippio

January 1, 1975 - June 28, 2022