Asia Gee-Azeez: Mentor, Friend, Sister

How do you tell the story of a life in its fullness? Of the challenges they face, the victories they earned, the battles they lost, and the lives they changed. At first glance, it seems a simple task. Asia Gee-Azees was born on March 17, 1992, graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University, was a sister of Phi Sigma Sigma sorority, worked at the New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence, married Sola Azeez, is the mother of Zara Azeez, and died in the early morning hours of June 3 after a battle with cancer. While all of these facts are true, they are not the sum of the woman I knew. Of the sister my soul had been longing for.

I knew of Asia when I worked at a local domestic violence program. She seemed so fancy and above my status being so young and working at the state coalition. That place was supposed to be impossible to access, but she had done it. Our friendship started to grow when I interned at the coalition for my MSW, and Asia’s steady and compassionate leadership was a sustaining life source. The organization was struggling, staff morale was low, the interns had been forgotten, but Asia never wavered in her dedication as a leader. She provided inspiration when fears about my career took over, a gentle ear when I needed to cry from exhaustion and burnout, and a friendly smile in every room. Her leadership in that moment of organizational crisis shaped me in ways I can’t even fully understand. I saw what it meant to embody servant leadership in its most authentic form. I experienced what it meant to love with boundaries and clear expectations. Her lessons took root in my heart, shaping the mother, advocate, and leader I became over the course of our friendship.

Our deep respect for and understanding of each other opened up a pathway for a life changing connection with a soul sister.

I watched her live deeply in love with a man that gave her all the care and tenderness she deserves. I stood with her while she took those first strange steps into motherhood. We built a connection on our shared passion for serving our community, belief in magic, and cultivating love everywhere we could. Our deep respect for and understanding of each other opened up a pathway for a life changing connection with a soul sister. Asia and I have only known each other for five years. It’s a blip on the radar in a person’s lifespan. But those five years have given me one of the most healing, loving, and transformative friendships I have ever experienced. Growing up as a military child taught me how precious the time we have right now is. Moving every few years meant leaving behind the world I knew and having to learn a new one again. It would have been easy to decide not to connect with people on such a deep level, but it wouldn't have been worth it. When I reflect on the memories those short-lived friendships created, and the way they still inform me all these years and decades later, they were worth every ounce of pain that came with losing them. It’s the same bittersweetness I feel now. My heart aches to feel Asia’s presence again, and even in the depths of that pain, my heart is also so grateful that I got to know what it meant to be loved by such a beautiful person.

Asia is one of the wisest, strongest, and most gentle souls I’ve ever known. To be able to call her my friend, even if only for five years, is one of the greatest gifts of my life. The military community has a saying, “it’s not goodbye; it’s see you later.” I know we’ll meet again, and when we do, I can’t wait to tell her the story of her life because it’s a beautiful one.

Story contributed by Devin Olivia, friend of Asia's.

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