Kwami S. Penty

Kwami Sena Penty, 9, died peacefully on October 9, 2017, surrounded by his family at home following a courageous four-year battle with pineoblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.  Kwami was a third grader at Westlawn Elementary School in Falls Church, VA.  He was loved by many, and will be greatly missed.

Kwami was a delightful little boy who was wise beyond his years.  He had an unforgettable smile and zest for life.  Kwami loved school, playing with his friends, swimming, using his iPad and eating at Buffalo Wild Wings.  He enjoyed visiting family in Galesburg, IL, which he described as a “magical” place.

As a member of an American Foreign Service family, Kwami was a world traveler.  He took his first international flight to Benin when he was just 3 months old.  He also lived and attended school in Uganda and Ireland and visited several other countries before returning to the U.S. in 2015.

Kwami is survived by his parents, Komla Penty and Stephanie Arnold, of Falls Church, VA; siblings Kekeli, at home, Dzifa, of Boston, MA, and Kofi (Cynthia) Penty, of Champaign-Urbana, IL; as well as grandparents Marty and Ed White and the late Jim Arnold, of Galesburg, IL, and Helen Apawu and the late Kwasi Penty, of Ghana.

The family wishes to extend a very special thank you to the amazing and caring teams at Boston Children’s Hospital/Dana Farber, Crumlin Children’s Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC, and Capital Caring for their tireless efforts along this journey.

Friends and family are invited to attend a memorial service and visitation on Saturday, October 14, 2017, from 2:00pm to 4:00pm at the SGI-USA Buddhist Culture Center, 3417 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007.  There will be a brief service at 2:00pm followed by time to visit with Kwami’s family.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations in Kwami’s name to the Neuro-Oncology Discovery Fund at Children’s National Medical Center to support pediatric brain tumor research or to the following organizations, who provided immeasurable joy and encouragement to our family along the way:  Make-A-Wish, the Marty Lyons Foundation or The Check-6 Foundation.