Obituary of Kenyatta Rosita Guarte

Kenyatta Rosita Guarte was born on September 15, 1956 in Baltimore, Maryland and unexpectedly went home to be with the Lord on June 29th 2023. She was a loving mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend. Kenyatta affectionately known as "Yottie", was also strong and very independent. She received her education in the Baltimore City Public School System. As feisty as she was at 4'11", she was the kindest soul you could meet. As a young woman Yottie's love for water landed her a job as a lifeguard, and a job at Baltimore's National Aquarium. It was there, that she was given the chance to swim with the dolphins and formed a special bond with a seal named Ike! Yottie loved activities that kept her active, such as roller skating, tennis, and pool. Other activities inlcuded working at a salon named Gerldines located at The Old Town Mall. During her time spent there she made a lot of friends and gained cosmetology experience, giving her the skills to dye her own hair blonde whenever she felt the need to. Yottie had such a pure heart, and a soft spot for the homeless. She was a wonderful caregiver and used to throw parties for her siblings, more specifically slumber parties. Yottie loved spending time with all her nieces and nephews, and never hesitated to help family or friends in times of need. Her heart was so big! Yottie always made sure those around her had food to eat, clothes to wear, and a place to stay. When her grandkids were born, she made sure to be a consistent presence in their lives. Sometimes she would take over as if they were her own. The same love that she gave to her daughters, she gave to her grandkids 100 times more! One thing she always said, "Treat others the way you would want to be treated". She would give you her last if that meant you were ok. She loved her mother dearly, family meant the world to her, and she often tried to fight their battles for them. When she loved you, that love lasted forever, and if she didn't like you, well... we all know how that went! To know her, was to know that her favorite color was blue, she loved fried chicken, potato salad, pepsi, snickers and her cigarettes. On Saturday mornings, she would get up and clean while listening to Earth, Wind & Fire and Anita Baker. Music was her happy place. Often, she would ask her sister Sauda to sing to her, so she could hear her beautiful voice. There will never be enough words to express how much she meant to all of us, how much we will miss her, and how we are grateful that she was a part of our lives. She was predeceased by her father, Alfonso Guarte; mother, Yvonne Guarte; and sister, Yvonne Lovelace. Kenyatta is survived by her daughters, Kizuwanda Ayobami Cannon and Akette Eltera Guarte McDougald. Her grandkids, Akil Maurice White, Adanna Aaliyah Radford, Alex Calixto McDougald, Ryan Christopher Smith Jr., and Achilles Dominick Burns. Kenyatta leaves to cherish her memory: eleven siblings, Vondessa Williams, Sauda Olukayode (Kashaka Olukayode), Milton Ames, Valerie Ames, Ronald Ames, Irene Wright (Christopher Wright), Myra Lake, Fernando Guarte, Bayuyu Guarte, Sabrina Guarte, Ventora Guarte; two aunts, Rosita Cassel, Georgie Lesane; special friend Samuel Johnson; a host of cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. She will be greatly missed by all.