Octoviol Taft Obituary (1990 - 2022)

Octoviol Taft came into this world two days late on May 1, 1990, and he was taken away from us way too soon. He was loved by all who truly knew him. Ockie, as he was called by family and friends, never met a stranger and was always eager to introduce himself to new people. He wanted people to be friends and connect with one another. His life was full of energetic vibrancy and a thirst for knowledge. He was an amazing young man with a love for books. Ockie was full of talent, possessing natural gifts. From the age of 12, he played football. On the field he was a star; Ockie was unstoppable! In Ockie's high school years, he was heavily recruited by several schools for his athletic ability. During this time, he discovered his passion for earning money and started cutting hair. Ockie possessed a natural gift for barbering. He took his precision skills to barber school, completed the program, and got his license. However, along his journey he discovered that he had a musical talent as a rapper as well. Ockie, aka Milli, had razor sharp skills on the microphone and began following that path to see where it would take him. He recorded music regularly prior to his death. However, his life was cut short, and he was unfairly taken from us by the hands of another. Even though Ockie, aka Milli, wasn't signed to a record label, he left a tremendous amount of himself in his music. Octoviol Taft, my son, will ALWAYS be our hearts' melody. Ockie's loving family remembers the son, brother, and father he was to them. Left to celebrate his life are his: mother, Teruko Taftwebb (and wife, Michelle); father, Shonn Stocks (and wife, Veronique); daughter, T'Vajanae Taft-Hodges; son, Ly'miere Taft; brother-O'Shea Taft; sisters, Ronnequa (Nikki) Williams and Kayla Stocks; grandmothers, Mary Stocks and Q. Keene; grandfather, Willie Keene; and a host of aunts, uncles, and cousins. He also leaves behind a special family he cared for very deeply, including Miss Terrika Hodges and her children, Tralyn, TaShayla, and TaShawna Hodges. On Dec 16, 2022, Ockie joined the following elders who are no longer here: grandfathers, Linwood Stocks and Don B. Taft; great grandmothers, Bertha Mclawhorn and Bertha Cox; and great grandfathers, Simon Tyson and Herman Taft. "I saw an angel struggling to escape the concrete. So, I set him free to be among the others."