Derick Coley

 Family photograph of Derick Coley and his daughter Adaisyah during a prison visit, obtained from UALR Public Radio.

It is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to Derick Coley, age 29, of Magnolia, Arkansas. Mr. Coley passed away on May 2, 2020 at Cummins Unit state prison after a short battle with COVID 19.

Derick's untimely death has left his loved ones with an incalculable loss. Those left to mourn his passing include his daughter - Adaisyah, his sisters - Tytiuana Harris and Shatasha Harris, and his longtime girlfriend - Cecelia Tate. Derick was a loving and devoted father, son, brother, companion, and friend. He took great joy in being a part of his daughter's life, and was a source of great strength and encouragement for his sisters. Derick's youngest sister, Tytiuana Harris, finds solace in remembering that “My older brother was my best friend, my everything.” Tytiuana recalled “When I need to talk, when I need to cry, he was there.” For many, the greatest memento of Derick's life will be the formidable, yet gentle impression he left on each person he met. He will be missed everyday as those that loved him reflect on all of the great memories he left behind.

Mr. Coley was the third person incarcerated at Cummins Unit that died after contracting the virus. Derick was moved to a quarantine area within the facility, and subjected to the staff’s indifference regarding his rapidly deteriorating health. It was not until Derick collapsed in front of correctional officers that he was taken to the infirmary. False claims that his fever was down, and he was “doing fine” by the prison’s nurses did little to prepare his loved ones for his fatal outcome. It was not until family members of others incarcerated with Derick reached out to his girlfriend that Mr. Coley's family learned the bleak truth about his condition. Cecelia Tate, the mother of Coley's only child, once found hope in believing Derick would be coming home in May. Now Ms. Tate can merely find comfort in knowing that her boyfriend “put up a good fight.”

Family photograph of Derick Coley and his daughter on Father's Day 2018 at the Cummins Unit, obtained from UALR Public Radio.

As of June 2020, Cummins Unit had the tenth largest coronavirus outbreak in the nation. Eight-hundred-seventy-three people incarcerated at Cummins had tested positive, including five that had passed away. According to sources inside the facility, Arkansas Department of Corrections has taken only minimal steps to contain the spread of the virus, and overcrowding in the facility has made social distancing impossible.

Although he is being embraced by the arms of eternity, his legacy carries on in the hearts of his loved ones forever.

Portrait of Derick Coley

This memorial was written by MOL team member Beth Muse with information from reporting by John Moritz of Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Max Brantley of Arkansas Times, Ninette Sosa of Fox 24, Anna Stitt and Daniel Breen of UALR Public Radio, and Pine Bluff Commercial. Transcribed by Eliza Kravitz.

Original artwork by MOL team member EJ Joyner.