- Date Of Birth: March 17, 1986
- Date Of Death: January 9, 2023
- State: New Jersey
Serge Patrick Israel Laforest, also known as Ashon, was born in Brooklyn, New York on March 17, 1986, to parents of Haitian descent, Anne Marie Michelle Brice and Serge Laforest. He was the second of four children that was born to the couple. Serge was married on August 31, 2014, to his wife, Nerissa Laforest and from this union they have two children: Haylee-Anne Abigail Laforest and Serge Owen Israel Laforest.
In 2003, Serge graduated from Orange High School with honors, where he participated on the wrestling and soccer teams. Upon graduation, Serge was offered an academic scholarship to attend any school in the state of New Jersey. Thereafter, he went on to further his studies of Computer Science at Essex County College in Newark, New Jersey while attending Best Care in East Orange, New Jersey for CNA, only to switch his major and establish a love for architecture.
In 2011, he acquired his Associates of Science in Architecture. After graduation, Serge decided to take a break from school for his girlfriend, now wife, to finish her degree. In 2015, Serge returned to his studies at New Jersey Institute of Technology to complete his Bachelors of Science (2019) and a Master of Architecture (2022). While attending NJIT, he was offered an academic scholarship to finish his senior year. Serge always valued education because he felt that without it, you cannot accomplish much of your goals. His motto was always, “if you could do better, do better.”
Serge’s drive for music began with his admiration for his all-time favorite R&B artist Usher Raymond. He was passionate about music so much that he created the infamous group Generation of God, also known as GOG. Alongside his gospel group, Serge decided to create an R&B group, called 606, with his closest friends. 606 was discovered when you take the lower case acronym to his gospel group and flip it upside down. He was not just the creator of these groups, he also wrote and produced most, if not all, of their songs. In addition to music, he always wanted to leave a legacy within the architectural workspace. He was very meticulous when it came to his projects and ensured that he always gave his all through completion. As Serge would say, “With God as my Architect, you can’t stop me.”
Serge was a great husband, father, son, brother and friend to many. He was a hardworking man of strong character, with an exceptional sense of humor, which was contagious to everyone that surrounded him. Serge enjoyed living life and sharing that love with others, especially with his wife and children. He was a jack of all trades, whether it was fixing cars, or random projects around the house. He valued family time, cooking, teaching others, playing dominos, watching and playing basketball and football. Most of all, Serge was always willing to do things big or small and made others feel seen and heard.
After a short illness and a few days in the hospital, Serge departed this life on Monday, January 9, 2023. During his final days, Serge kept his faith and kept God close until his last breath. By believing in the promises of God, we hope and pray that we will see him again. Serge is survived and missed by his loving wife of eight years, Nerissa Laforest, his children: Haylee-Anne and Serge Owen Laforest, his mother: Anne Marie Michelle Brice, his father: Serge Laforest, his siblings: Michelle Laforest, Ted (Melissa) Laforest and Cheryl Laforest, his half-siblings: Marjorie Hofstetter, Lynn Emile and Sarah Laforest, his nieces: Nevaeh Laforest and Angeline Hofstetter, his father and mother-in law, Shurland and Cheryl-Anne Branch, his brother-in law: Lawayne Branch and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. Serge was a loving, caring and charismatic person who will never be forgotten.
