Dhaima Matthews Memorial - reggae has lost a light The following information on the life of Dhaima Matthews is provided by her family and was included in the memorial brochure to be distributed at her service on Tuesday, May 16, 2000. The service will be held at Virginia Beach Key on Key Biscayne, Miami. Parking is available in parking lots 4, 5 and 6. The service will be held at 11 a.m., officiated by Kes Ixiabira, Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Jamaica. Dhaima was the victim of an accidental drowning on Virginia Key in Miami, and her family and friends are deeply saddened by her passing on. Dhaima Sandra Matthews Sunrise April 27, 1949 Sunset May 9, 2000 In Celebration of Dhaima's Life -- a Memorial Dhaima was born Sandra Lucille on April 27, 1949 as the first child to John and Susie Matthews. She grew up in Nashville, Tennessee and though she graduated from San Jose State University, she proudly reminded the world that she was a graduate of Nashville's Pearl High School. Sandra wrote her first song at the precocious age of nine and was only twelve when she boldly walked, unannounced, into the executive offices of Tree Music Publishing and told them she was ready to make a deal. She earned early recognition as a member of "The Buttons" a singing group that consisted of Sandra and Her teenage friend, Connie Burns. They recorded several songs for Columbia Records. Some of their best efforts are "Walk Away Girl" and "Pretty Little Love Lights". The charged atmosphere of the Sixtie's civil rights and peace movements served as the backdrop that set the scene for her metamorphosis. The emergence of Dhaima was more than a name change. Los Angeles was the site of the new birth. Choosing the name "Dhaima" (which means "love lives forever") was evidence of Sandra's new commitment to living her art as opposed to simply performing it. Six years of bliss with Wallace Allen produced their daughter Myshjua Loyhe, their son Kahahn Wha-lee, and a permanent bond that evolved into an abiding kinship. She set the pace and the curve in many arenas. Her mode of dress became astandard by which 'hip' was described. She was one of the original hair sculptresses who pioneered the braiding blitz that has become the fashion statement that crossed the millennium. As an art major, hair sculpture, painting, and pottery were some of the living projects that earned her credits for college graduation. Following her graduation from San Jose State University, and a short stay in the Bahamas where she taught elementary school, Dhaima took a job at United Artists Publishing in Hollywood. It was a move that would forever change her life. Through her job at UAP she encountered the profoundly spiritual Rastafarian movement and the music of The Honorable Robert Nesta Marley, O.M. Dhaima heard her calling in the soulful melodies of reggae music and formed an immediate bond with Bob and Rita Marley that would endure throughout her life. Jamaica became her spiritual home and she became an 'unofficial' member of reggae's first family. She felt that reggae was the last of the 'truth' music and as such became the medium of her new musical expression. Her tenure as a recording artist for Joe Gibbs Music in Kingston, Jamaica produced a notable discography which included two hit singles, "Inna Jah Children" and "A True" (a duet with legendary reggae crooner Dennis Brown) both of which topped the charts in the UK. She also made history as the first American to host the hit Jamaican television program Where It's At. Upon her return to Los Angeles she demonstrated the continuum of her painting endeavor with a twenty-piece art exhibit titled, "The Color Of Love". Not long after, her renaissance spirit attracted the attention of struggling actor Philip Michael Thomas. Bolstered by her faith, encouragement and insistence, he went to the audition that landed him his career-defining role as the second lead, Ricardo Tubbs, in the television series Miami Vice, which became a pop culture icon. Their relationship produced two children, Chayenne-Angelique, and Philip Michael, Jr. Dhaima And Philip also collaborated on a book and an album. Dhaima's move back to Miami brought her closer to her chosen family and in particular, to her chosen sister Rita Marley. She worked and traveled with Rita, her friend and confidant for fifteen-plus years. Dhaima was largely responsible for the establishment of the annual Jamaican music festival honoring Bob Marley. Her activity as the co-founder of the Rita Marley Foundation included the establishment of the Rita & Bob Marley All Age School in Accra, Ghana. She recently spearheaded the book drive that collected a forty-foot container filled with books destined for the school. In 1999, Dhaima founded a non-profit organization, MOMMIES MAKING MAGIC, which is dedicated to supporting single-parent families. Dhaima also completed an album, entitled Never Been Here Before, which is scheduled for summer release. The organization will continue to function as a living memorial to Dhaima and the life of love that she lived. According to her father, John, "Dhaima never met a stranger." Dhaima had songs on the Marley Family Album CD and on The Natty Queen Divas CD on Tuff Gong Records. Dhaima's accidental departure leaves many grieving friends and relatives who, while devastated by her passing, feel blessed and thankful for the time they shared: Her sons, Kahahn Wha-lee Allen and Philip Michael Thomas, Jr., daughters, Chayenne-Angelique Thomas and Myshjua Loyhe Allen Archibald; Myshjua's husband Kenroy and their children, (Dhaima's grandchildren) Sashae, Joshua, Keto and Malik; her brothers, John Jr. and Lonnell R. (Neet) of Nashville, her sisters Kathy L. (Warren Vernette) of Atlanta, Johnnie-Maxine of Los Angeles, Media Brown, Rita Marley, Betty Wright; her mother Susie Matthews of Nashville; her father John and Stepmother Minnie of Berkley Illinois and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins. Dhaima's boundless capacity for love brought her friends throughout the world, and she had a special affinity for reaching out to children. As a rule her friends became family and her extended spiritual family must be acknowledged: Ruth and James Stevens, the Wallace and Josephine Allen family, Minerva Cooper and Family (of the Bahamas), Pappi & Juanita, Joan Barnett and Family, Albert Alexis and family, Barbara Forchion and Family, The Ms. B International Family, The Wright/McCray/Norris/Parker/Williams Family, Miguel Guzman…the list is truly infinite. Suffice it to say that once Dhaima knew you, she loved you and LOVE LIVES FOREVER. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you support MOMMIES MAKING MAGIC the nonprofit organization Dhaima established for the Jah Jah's most treasured blooms, our children. You may contact Myshjua Archibald at Tuff Gong International, 305-593-9663. Anya http://member.newsguy.com/~herblady