JERMAINE Perry Alexander Jr. loved dirt bikes. He loved riding and working on them, and even though he was only 14, he worked at a mechanic shop near his home.
He was riding his dirt bike at Frankford Avenue and Butler Street in Frankford on the afternoon of March 13 when it collided with a minivan. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
"He was loved by everyone who knew him," his family said. "He had a beautiful smile and a loving personality. He was full of energy and life."
Jermaine, called "Maine" by family and friends, was an eighth-grader at Harding Elementary. He was a devoted member of Jones Memorial Baptist Church, where he was baptized. He was also an outstanding football player. He played running back and linebacker for the Frankford Bearcats and Frankford Chargers in the Pop Warner youth league, helping to lead the teams to the playoffs.
He was born in Philadelphia to Sarina Howard-Witherspoon and Jermaine P. Alexander Sr.
"Maine loved everyone," his family said. "To know him was to love him."
Besides his parents and stepfather, Derrick Witherspoon, he is survived by six sisters, Shanikwa, Shaniyah, Sharmaine, Amira, Ahsan and Asiyah; five brothers, Zimar, Khalil, Jhalil, Jaydeen and Jerren; three grandfathers, William Ali, Eugene Taylor and Jerome Alexander; a grandmother, Bitha, and a great-grandmother, Evelen.
Services: 10 a.m. today at Jones Memorial Baptist Church, 1937 W. Dauphin St. Friends may call at 8 a.m. Burial will be in White Chapel Memorial Park.
Contact John F. Morrison at 215-854-5573 or morrisj@phillynews.com, or follow on Twitter @johnfmorrison
