Trayvius "Tray" McDaniel

Trayvius “Tray” Malik McDaniel, 21, of Sherwood, Arkansas passed away November 1, 2021.

Survived by parents, James McDaniel of Maryland and Tonya McDaniel of Sherwood; twin sister, Traliqua “TeTe” McDaniel; brother, Timothy McDaniel; grandmother, Kaye Odom; grandparents, Edward and Kathryn McDaniel; great-grandmother, Erma McDaniel; North Carolina family: birth mother, T’Prina Pettaway; birth father, Elijah Smith; maternal grandmother, Lucy Baker; biological brothers, Elijah Smith IV and Tarell Smith; biological sister, Tatiyona Smith; half-sister, Janajah Pettaway; Maryland family: step-mother, Kristy McDaniel; half-brothers, James and Alister McDaniel; step-siblings, Kyler and Azlea Vonk; Cabot, Arkansas family: former step-father, Joshua Davis; former step-grandparents, Patrick and Marcia Davis; many aunts, uncles, and cousins, and close friend, Mike Corker.

He is preceded in death by grandfather, Darrell Odom; great-grandparents, Elzie and Opal Shue; great-grandparents, Louis and Virginia “Tot” Odom; great-grandfather, Harvey McDaniel; maternal grandfather, Elijah Baker Jr.; and former step-grandfather, Gerald Davis.

There are many others who loved and cared for Tray… too many to name. For someone who could not communicate, he sure had a lot of friends!

Trayvius was a young man of few words and many expressions. He had a smile that would light up a room and warm our hearts. There was something magical about his eyes. They were a beautiful light brown that sparkled, and everyone that met him would go on about his beautiful eyes.

Trayvius was born a two pound preemie twin with TeTe. He was fostered, and then adopted by Tonya and James. A lot of love and care went into making his life as happy and full as possible. He got to do lots of fun things with his brother and sister. We traveled cross-country to visit family, went to Disney World and other parks, the beach, the mountains, train rides, and boating. He loved splashing in the water and just about anything that kept him moving. He enjoyed nature and loved music. In fact his favorite things to do were listening to music and spending time with family. He was a joy to us and all who knew him…a beautiful, happy soul.

All through life, he had a lot of challenges and experienced a lot of pain, but we did everything possible to keep him comfortable and healthy. Though we sadly couldn’t always be right by his side in the later years, he was and always will be in our hearts. Trayvius transformed our lives. Our hearts are broken in pieces by his unexpected passing. As sad and devastating as it is to let him go, we are comforted by the promise that God has now relieved all of his pain, never to experience it again. And we look forward to the day we can be with him in heaven, and share forever with him in total peace and joy. Rest in Peace, our precious son!

The family would like to thank all who cared for Trayvius and all who have loved and supported us during this time.

Visitation will be from 2:00PM-4:00PM Sunday, November 7, 2021 at Smith-Sherwood Funeral Home (7700 Hwy 107). Funeral service will be at 9:30AM Monday, November 8, 2021 at the funeral home with burial following at Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery at 11:00AM.