Anthony Andrew Fauntleroy Jr. was born to Ebonie Nicole Jackson and Anthony Shaun Fauntleroy on January 29, 2000, in Brooklyn, NY. He was the first born son of both Ebonie and Anthony and is the oldest of his seven siblings. Anthony was affectionately called Lil Anthony and Tony by family and friends.

Anthony grew up in the Bronx, NY, and was educated in the New York City Public School System. He attended P.S. 100 Elementary School, Junior High School 131-Albert Einstein, and Taft High School in the Bronx. At the age of 17, Anthony, along with his mother and four younger siblings, later moved to Harlem, NY.

As a small child, Anthony demonstrated a strong-minded personality. He was innately curious, intelligent, creative, and empathetic. He was inquisitive beyond imagination and always determined in his endeavors. As a teenager, Anthony inherited a passion for cooking, as he would often watch his mother cook and bake his favorite foods. As Anthony continued to grow and develop as a young adult, navigating his way through life, he was determined to do better and to be better.

In his self-navigation, Anthony found a new interest in photography. His interest in photography began as a student at the Neon Photography Community School. It was there that Anthony’s interest in photography was nurtured and cultivated. His interest was fueled by his instructors, who ignited a love, respect, and passion for the art of photography. Photography, as Anthony has grown to know, is both as much an art as it is a skill. Anthony realized that once he honed in on this skill-set, it would allow him to more deeply explore and further develop his creative nature. It also helped to showcase his artistic expression by sharing stories of himself and his community through his photographs. In this, Anthony was able to use photography to reflect and interpret his vision of all things beautiful by capturing priceless moments in time.

He loved capturing photos of the sunset, the serene calm of the still waters, and action shots capturing the joys and laughter of people, especially those he loved. Anthony took great pleasure in photography, but graduating from student to teacher of photography brought him even more joy as he found a new love in dedicating his life to teaching. Anthony shared profound and mutual respect and admiration for both his students and faculty at the Neon Photography Community School.

Love is love, and Anthony shared the love of many things. So, he loved to watch his mom cook, and Anthony also loved cooking. He loved the art of photography; he loved teaching photography. Anthony loved cracking jokes and making people laugh. His laughter was contagious. He loved sitting by the water. Anthony loved spending quality time with his siblings, uncles, aunts, and cousins. Anthony had an infectious smile and always had an uplifting spirit, a warm personality, and a zest for life. He was deeply loved by everyone that knew him.

Anthony was always overjoyed and excited to share his greatest love, biggest accomplishment, and greatest gift of all, his son, Azuri. Azuri was his light, his life, and his love. There was no love greater than the love he had and shared with Esti at the birth of their son. Anthony was a loving father to his 2-year-old son and was dedicated to making a better life for them. Anthony had made promises of being the best person and dad he could be to Azuri. Anthony’s love for Azuri, Esti, and his family was unwavering and will transcend all eternity, as will our love for him. WE WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU, Anthony!

Anthony was preceded in death by his great-grandmother, Alice Jackson, and his grandparents, Deborah Jean Hayes-Fauntleroy and Gordon Lane Fauntleroy. Anthony is survived by his son, Azuri, and his love, Esti. Parents, Ebonie Nicole Jackson and Anthony Shaun Fauntleroy; Seven siblings, Sadiq, Aniyah, Muhashadin, Kamela, Savier (Rome), Amir, and Morocco. Grandparents, Elaine Jackson and Tyree Presley; Godmothers, Denisha Josephs, Kenya Jenkins, and Quovadis Lawson; Godfathers, Marcus Garvey and Robert Primus; as well as a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, relatives, and friends.