Obituary of Ovando L. Thelwell

Ovando Lloyd Thelwell was born May 21, 1970, in the beautiful coastal town of Lucea, Jamaica, to Blondel Evans and Alexander Thelwell. He spent his primary years growing up in Jamaica and living with his grandparents, “Mama and Papa” Evans. As his mother worked to build a better life for Ovando, Mama and Papa Evans loved and cared for him in Jamaica, and he was surrounded by his aunts, uncles, and cousins who became an integral part of his early life. When he was 10, Ovando moved to Canada to live with his mother. He attended middle and high school in Canada, where he played volleyball and basketball, a game he came to love and would one day share with others, including as coach for his son’s basketball team. He pursued higher education at Humber College and York University in Toronto before transferring to Howard University in Washington, DC. Although he relished the opportunity to attend Howard, being so far from his family, especially his mother and young daughter, Jade, was bittersweet. As a student at Howard University, Ovando began working for a moving company. In that job, he saw an opportunity to build something of his own, an avenue to pursue his entrepreneurial goals. In February of 2004, Ovando established Majestic Moving & Storage. And, only months after embarking on a career in the moving business, he entered a partnership of love, marrying Kanika Harris on October 9, 2004, in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Ovando and Kanika worked hard to build their business, moving families within the DC area and across the country. Many became repeat customers, choosing Majestic Moving & Storage to transport their belongings safely again and again and recommending the business to friends. Ovando found joy in his work at Majestic. It was gratifying to help thousands of clients move from one destination to the next and rewarding to employ many young men in jobs that often helped them transitioAs Ovando and Kanika were building their business, they were also creating a beautiful family. Ovando Michael was born in 2005, Asha Marlene in 2008, and Aliya Rosalind in 2013. Ovando had an appreciation of the world beyond his home in America. He and Kanika nurtured that in their children by expanding their education to include learning languages like Chinese and Spanish and taking them on family vacations to Jamaica, Canada, and Puerto Rico. These trips had an indelible impact on his children, evident in one of his daughters’ recollections. “A lot of my happiest memories with my dad were when he found joy in showing us where he grew up.” Ovando left Jamaica as a young boy, but Jamaica remained central to his identity. Ovando didn’t consider himself a people person, but those who loved him would disagree. They remember his love for children — not just his own — and his love of family. He saw family through a broader lens that included the friends we make along the way and the people we find comfort in. His love for helping people continues to inspire his children as they remember how he brought school supplies to kids when they visited Puerto Rico and how he always had his “good deed of the day.” Even in his last days, he continued to share his wit and friendly spirit with the nurses. After a brief illness, Ovando passed away on October 10, 2024. He is survived by his mother, Blondel Reid; his wife, Kanika, and his children: Jade Toms, Ovando, Asha, and Aliya Thelwell; his granddaughter, Melody Toms; and a host of other relatives and friends.