Raheem and Camille Stoner first locked eyes in the late ‘90s when they were in their early teens. They met on a Friday, and by Monday, they were a couple. Raheem was her first and only love.
“He was cute,” Camille said. “I was a young teenager, and I thought, ‘Who is this cute, tall boy?’”
They’d talk on the phone every day and, despite Camille’s grandmother yelling at him if he called too late, he stuck around. Their relationship continued, and when Camille’s father saw he was going to be a permanent part of his daughter’s life, he took him under his wing and helped him get his start in construction.
He’d eventually become a success, with a strong marriage and two daughters, as well as a career as a lead carpenter with the City of Philadelphia, an entrepreneur with his own contracting business called Stoner Renovations, and investment properties. But his path wasn’t an easy one.
Raheem had gotten into minor scrapes with the law when he was younger, and that made it harder for him to move forward. He faced homelessness and lived in group homes, and as he found his own footing, it became important for him to show other young men that they can have all they want from life, too.
A theme throughout Raheem’s life was a passion for equality for all people, especially black men, which led him to become involved with the Mayor’s Office of Black Male Engagement. He was passionate about building intergenerational wealth by passing along tools and knowledge to the next generation.
“He understood the plight of the black man in Philadelphia,” Camille said. “He’d say, ‘Look at me, I was out here, I used to hustle back in the day, but there are other options.’”
Raheem was in the process of launching a mentoring program for young men called Legacy Builders, and he also planned to put an investment property on the market, then take his family on a Disney cruise. But he didn’t get the chance.
On April 8 of this year, Raheem’s mother passed away, so he and his siblings met that afternoon in North Philadelphia to discuss funeral arrangements. Raheem primarily worked out of City Hall, but with the city shut down because of COVID-19, he wasn’t working and wouldn’t normally have been out, Camille explained.
That day, Raheem was in his car driving along the 1500 block of North Marshall Street when he was shot, and he died a short time later at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
“Everything we dreamed about and talked about our whole lives, he was literally just where he could just touch them with his fingertips,” Camille said. “It’s just heartbreaking. He was my everything for so long.”
Mayor Jim Kenney and members of city council recognized Raheem as a dedicated civil servant and an integral part of the team at City Hall.
Raheem always went above and beyond to ensure that every departments’ needs were met — and with a smile. Raheem was known by many city employees to be kind, gracious, hard-working and reliable. – A excerpt from a letter signed by Mayor Jim Kenney.
Just as he’d been a responsible and dedicated employee, Raheem had always been there for Camille. From paying her tuition so she could attend a private high school, to caring for her after she had an emergency C-section, to getting up at 3:30 a.m. to make her breakfast before work, he was with her every step of the way throughout her life.
Nothing was more important than family to Raheem. He and Camille made sure they had dinner with their girls every night like in the ’60s and ’70s.
“It was all about family,” Camille said. “We’d sit down and have dinner and talk about what’s going on that day. We’d watch Family Feud and just laugh and joke. We never went out. We’d do family game night, bake cookies and just spend time together.”
Sports were a big part of Raheem’s life, too. He enjoyed rooting for the Eagles, Phillies, Sixers and Flyers as well as the local college teams. Whenever the family traveled, he made sure to pack something Philly-themed to represent his city.
Raheem enjoyed hosting cookouts and getting together with his siblings, extended family and close friends. He made everyone feel loved and important with his beautiful smile and contagious laugh.
After Raheem’s death, Camille learned of ways he had been quietly generous to those around him. He made everyone his responsibility, and it was nothing for him to pass $10 or $20 to someone who needed it, or buy lunch for anyone who was hungry.
Raheem was by Camille’s side through every step of life for 22 years, and she’s struggling to understand how to move forward without him.
“I could go to him. I could be vulnerable. I could be weak,” she said. “And he’d say, ‘You are so strong. You’re the strongest person I know.’ But I didn’t know until I lost him that he was my strength.”
No arrests have been made. Raheem is laid to rest at Chelten Hills Cemetery.
A reward of up to $20,000 if available to anyone that comes forward with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Raheem’s murder. Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS.
