Mahn..I hate writing tributes.
There’s always something about the finality of death that
makes me very introspective and start pondering the whole point of our
existence and what we’re really here for.
Sigh.
So, on the 29th of June, my dear Father-in-Law, Mr.
Remi Nwokoroku passed on. 💔💔
Bruh, this one pain me gaan.
Here was a man who I had come to love and respect so much
that I had virtually taken him as a father figure ever since Nze passed on. He
was such a well-respected and regarded Gentleman. Soft spoken and full of
wisdom.
All my interactions with him were always cherished ones as
he went out of his way to welcome me into his family and virtually adopt me as
another son.
He had this way of making you feel at ease with his easy-going
manner of speaking and several times, he took me in confidence with his life
stories and anecdotes that made me feel very special indeed.
I recall one of the early times we went to visit and we had
such a great conversation when he went to show me his fish pond. It was almost
like old friends chatting and shooting the breeze. I felt so comfortable with
him. How can I forget his insistence on not following the impossibly outlandish
traditional requirements when we were doing our trad wedding preparations? He literally
pulled me aside and said, “ignore all these village people and their lists,
just bring what you have and I know how to sort them out”. He was that kind of
person! He was very devoted to the work of God and such a wonderful catholic man.
He was fondly called Elder in his parish and lord knows all the roles in
different societies he took on to make sure the catholic church in the area
grew and flourished.
Sigh. Death, you do this one o.
He was a proud Cancer survivor who had battled and fought
off throat cancer about twelve years ago. He had been feeling very poorly
recently with his Liver and kidney functions, and we had gone all out to make
sure he got all the treatments he needed. After several rounds of dialysis,
hospital stays and major surgery, his body couldn’t take it anymore and he
passed on to glory that fateful Saturday morning.
It was absolutely heart breaking.
Honestly, you’d be hard pressed to meet a stronger woman
than my mother-in-law. She was by his side all through this period, taking charge
of his personal care, coordinating his hospital visits, sleeping on any surface
she could find in some hospitals, liaising with family members and ensuring
that things back home still ran smoothly. All the while not being in the best
of health herself. May God bless and keep that woman for us.
A very personal pain for me as always was that we were not
able to be there physically during this period and were not able to at least
see him before he passed. Just one more terrible aspect of this japa journey. Life
as always, goes on though and even though this is such a bitter pill to swallow,
we have to ensure we send him off in the best way we can and make sure the good
memories of him we have live on with us always.
May the soul of our beloved father, Mr. Remigius Lumenze Nwokoroku
rest in perfect peace. Amen.
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