D'Antai Leroy Nelson

On June 2nd , 2004, in Portland Oregon, D’Antai Leroy Nelson was born to parents, Stephani and Vedelle. He was a whopping 8lbs and 4oz, and immediately took center stage for quite an audience. Tai was a beautiful baby, surrounded by love, and quickly earned the nicknames ‘Tai Tai’, ‘Tater Tot’, or just ‘Tater’. As he got older, his mom was the only one that he would allow to call him Tater and he was simply ‘Tai Tai’ to everyone else. Tai was the first born, and his mom found herself fiercely protective over this smart, tiny little human who changed her life forever in the best possible ways.

When Tai was barely 1 year old, Big James, came into his life. He was there for Tai’s first steps, and even got a photo. It was just the three of them until 2007 when his younger, not so little brother was born. Tai was so excited to be a big brother and he was darn good at it. He taught Jamesie all the things. How to be loving, how to play video games, how fun it was to swim, and most special to Jamesie, how to play baseball. Tai started playing basketball and T-ball at 5 years old. He was fast, and loved to run the bases. He got his first broken bone when someone stepped on his hand as he slid into 3rd . His mom didn’t think it was broken, so she waited for 2 days before taking him to the doctors…. amateur. In 2008 Tai experienced his first loss of his great grandfather Mac.

And then Ayden came into the world. It was 2010, and now Tai had two younger brothers. Believe us, he knew who was top dog… He loved being the oldest and would try to organize the games, playing the director of anything they wanted to do together, and his younger brothers always seemed to follow him. It seemed he was born to be the oldest, and it showed in mind, body and soul. Tai was selfless and spent a lot of time being there for others. A few months after Ayden was born, their grandmother, Lisa, unexpectedly passed away from cancer. Tai and his grandma Lisa were very close, and losing her was hard for him. But Tai made sure he was there to support his family by helping them grieve. He did the same in 2013 when he lost his grandpa Jamie, and again in 2019 and 2020 when he lost his uncle’s Quincy and Adrian. He was always supporting his family when he himself had gone through so much loss for being so young. Tai had a big heart, always knew what to say, and always put others before himself.

Everyone that knew Tai, knows he was not the most social person. He didn’t like big crowds, or being around people he didn’t know. For Tai, his passion for video games allowed him to find friends online that he felt he could talk to. He would often play most of the night, where we’d hear him yelling like he was actually fighting someone. Gaming was his happy place, and he was good at it. Tai spent a lot of time teaching his brothers how to game, and they share that passion with him, especially Ayden and are following in his footsteps.

Tai’s mind was unique and brilliant. He would often be found fixing things, connecting parts, and concepts in ways most people wouldn’t. He saw things out of the box, and through his own perspective. During the summers, he used skills from a culinary class and enjoyed to volunteer, feeding the kids in his neighborhood. In high school, he made a rattle in his ceramics class, and a step stool in wood shop for his baby brother Dominik. He made a cutting board for his mom, a toolbox for his dad, and numerous other art projects. Tai was artistic, even though he didn’t see it in himself.

It wasn’t all fun and games though, in 2020, Tai got into a fist fight with the floor, and the floor won. He broke his hand and had to get his first surgery to repair it. 5 months later, his less than iron fists came out again, resulting in another break of the same bone… His doctor probably thought, this kid needs a punching bag, as he wrapped his hand in a cast.

Tai played most of his baseball through the Portland Cal Ripken and Portland Babe Ruth programs. He and team made it to the Pacific Northwest Regionals when he was 12, and played in Meridian, ID. They ended up taking 3rd and falling just 1 game short of going to the World Series. D’Antai played ball up until his freshman year at David Douglas High School, before deciding to retire to focus more on other things, including his love of video games.

D’Antai was lowkey and really smart. When he was young, he found himself in trouble a lot at school. He’d be tapping his pencil on the desk, or trying to talk to other students. Luckily his teacher saw something in him and dug in. She found he was doing those things because he had already finished his work and was bored. She ordered some tests and it turns out that Tai was gifted. In 3rd grade he became a TAG student, and it turns out that TAG, is not just the game we play in the yard. TAG means talented and gifted, where he joined classes with other students like him. He moved onto middle and high school in advanced classes, achieving mathlete in 6th grade, earned the President’s Education Award in 8th grade and graduated in 2022 with honors from Battle Ground High School.

After high school, Tai began working at the UNFI warehouse, but didn’t like working for someone else. Being inspired by his uncle, he dreamt of starting his own business in the future. He had goals, and a vision but those came crashing down in 2023 when he was unexpectedly diagnosed with epilepsy. This meant he had to quit his job at UNFI, and that he couldn’t drive for six months. Driving, like video games, was a passion for Tai and that’s all he did after getting his license. The open road was a place for him to clear his head, deliver some Doordash, or go drifting in the Wal-Mart parking lot (if you know you know). He loved to be in his car, and at first struggled to accept his diagnosis. But over time he was strong, learned to accept it, and continued to live his life. He was excited to be cleared to drive and return to work just after his birthday this year (2024).

Accepting that Tai is no longer with us in the present is very hard. The world is not the same, and is a little bit emptier without him here. Tai was a light for many of us, and I know he is walking beside us in spirit. His family, especially his mom, wants us to continue to live for him. To be an ear for someone, to lead with a kind and caring heart, and remember to be silly and have a little fun. Tai wouldn’t want us to cry over him, but instead to have fun for him. To take this time to laugh, smile, and share our memories of him. To carry his spirit on the way he would want us to. He is survived by his parents, Stephani, James, and Vedelle; his siblings, Ryder, James, Ayden, Dominik and Stephani; and many other relatives. Our family thanks you in advance for any memories and/or photos you may share. LLTT - Forever 20.