Naomi Marie Hedge, born on August 21, 1997, in Euclid, Ohio, was the second oldest child of Layanna Abercrombie and Benjamin Hedge. She accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior at an early age while attending Second Calvary Missionary Baptist Church. Naomi participated in Vacation Bible Study and Sunday School with her grandmother, Lydia Crowder, along with her siblings and cousins. She attended several Cleveland Metropolitan Schools, including Waverly, Joseph Gallagher, A.J.
Rickoff, and Garrett Morgan School of Science. In early 2020, she completed the requirements to receive her G.E.D.
On December 2, 2020, Naomi became a mother to Josiah Khalil Hedge. She was a wonderful, loving, and caring mother, taking pride in caring for her son. Naomi enjoyed taking Josiah to parks, reading to him, and helping him learn his ABCs and numbers. She had a close relationship with her first cousin, Aaron James Scott; they often referred to themselves as "twin cousins" and were inseparable during their childhood. As a child, Naomi was shy and opened up only to her immediate family. However, as she grew older, she became more direct and expressed her thoughts openly. One of her favorite activities was roller-skating at local rinks such as United Skates and Zelma George, where she excelled. She also enjoyed track and playing chess with her father.
Tragically, Naomi passed away on March 26, 2023, at the age of 25. According to the medical examiner, she died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on East 147th Street in Cleveland. As her death was ruled a suicide, there were no arrests or suspects involved in the incident.
Naomi is survived by her mother, Layanna Abercrombie; stepfather, Lee Abercrombie Sr.; father, Benjamin Hedge; son, Josiah Khalil Hedge; maternal grandmother, Lydia Crowder; paternal grandfather, Benjamin Hedge Sr. ; paternal grandmother, Linda Jackson; sisters, Niyala Hedge, Nina Abercrombie, and Yasmin Frye; brothers, DeVonte Hedge and Lee Abercrombie Jr.; aunt, Lia Scott; first cousins, Arielle Burrage and Aaron Scott; and a host of family and friends. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her.
