Tanisha Kamilah Pasters: Beloved granddaughter’s spirit lives on

Tanisha-Willie-Ratcliff-Anika-at-Brothers-wifes-funeral-Shiloh-BC-Hayward-050218-225x300, Tanisha Kamilah Pasters: Beloved granddaughter’s spirit lives on, Culture Currents
Granddaughters Tanisha Pasters (left) and Anika Arafiles take good care of their grandfather, Dr. Willie Ratcliff, who takes great pride in the outstanding accomplishments of his children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and one great, great grandchild. This photo was taken May 2, 2018, at the funeral in Hayward of Tanisha and Anika’s great uncle Roderick Harris’s wife Dolores at Shiloh Baptist Church.

On August 22, 1974, in the City of Santa Clara, California a beautiful baby girl was born to Lewis Wesley and Linda Joyce Pasters [Dr. Willie Ratcliff’s first-born child] and they named her Tanisha Kamilah Pasters. She was a happy child. She attended Bowers Elementary School and Adrian Wilcox High School in Santa Clara, California.

During her formative years, she attended the Greater Love Church of God in Christ, where she received godly training. She was a member of the Sunshine Band, the Puritans, Usher Board and the other various youth groups and the choir.

After graduating high school, she attended DeAnza College and was then hired as an employee of the Hilton Hotel where she thrived in customer ser­vice. She was then employed by Cisco Systems as a global marketing manager.

Tanisha would later go on and obtain the greatest job of all, which was becoming a mother. She gave birth on Nov. 22 of 2001 to a healthy baby girl, whom she named Talajah Linda Lynee Boisson, and she loved this child with all of her heart.

Tanisha was a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and was a faithful member of the Greater Love Church of God in Christ under the leadership of Administrative Assistant Superintendent Johnnie Quincy Jones, and she would later become a dedicated member of the Bible Way Christian Center, where Bishop Oscar Dace serves as the pastor.

Tanisha attended Bible Way Christian Center until her health began to de­cline. While at Bible Way she was a faithful attendee of the weekly morning prayer calls, as well as she served in the Children’s Ministry. She then relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, where she became a member of the New Beginnings COGIC under Pastor Willie Floyd.

Tanisha was the epitome of courage and strength. All throughout her life she was faced with several health chal­lenges, yet she never com­plained or questioned God for being chosen to endure such trying circumstances.

She remained faithful and encouraged in knowing that GOD was yet able!

Tanisha never wavered in her faith, nor allowed her infirmities to impede her life­style. What a great testimony she had through all of this. We are grateful for the 44 years of life that God loaned her to us. We are indeed thankful, and we now realize that she is free from pain and has won the ultimate victory as she is now completely healed!

To know Tanisha was to love Tanisha. She loved cooking, watching TV, especially Tyler Perry sitcoms. Most of all she loved spending time with the apple of her eye, her daughter, Talajah.

Mary-holds-Talajah-the-day-she-was-born-Thanksgiving-2001-w-Willie-Ratcliff-Tanisha-Pasters-web-300x203, Tanisha Kamilah Pasters: Beloved granddaughter’s spirit lives on, Culture Currents
Dr. Willie and Mary Ratcliff visit Tanisha in the hospital on Thanksgiving 2001, the day Talajah was born.

Tanisha leaves to cherish her memory, her beautiful daughter, Talajah Linda Lynee Boisson, her mother, Linda Joyce Pasters, her father, Lewis Wesley Pasters, her brother, Dwayne Washington, her sister, Lisa Porche (Frank). She also had one special cousin whom she considered her sister, Anika Rochelle Arafiles (Kennith).

Her grandmother, Ora Lee Harris-Pratt (deceased), her grandfather, Willie Ratcliff Sr. (Mary) of San Francisco. Her great uncle, Roderick Harris (Delores, deceased) of Oakland and her great aunt, Barbara Nears (Howard, deceased) of Oakland. She had three godchildren, Tatiyana Marie Watson, Zhi’yon Simmone Rocha and Ishmael Taeshaun Maurice Arafiles Jr. Her own godparents are Mother Rosa Lee and Frank Scales.

Uncles Willie Ratcliff (deceased), Pastor Glenn Ratcliff (Linda) of Anchorage, Alaska, Melvin Johnson and Ronald Johnson, both of Sunnyvale, Calif. Aunts Janet Ratcliff of San Jose, Delores Westmoreland of Oakland,  Karin Williams of San Jose and Barbara Carter (Lonnel) of Stockton, Calif.

Cousins Wilmea, Glennis, Glenn, Michelle, Michael (deceased), Aisha, Maurice, Victor, Melis­sa, Curtis, Shanice, Briana, Ronald, Rickey, James (deceased), Shamika, Qualicia, Cammie, Alisha, Lonnell and Donnell, Janice, Veronica, Roderick Jr., Rickey, Quentin, Al, Kathy, Tina and a host of second cousins, nieces, nephews and special friends that were near and dear to her heart.