By: Tochi Onyeubi
Renowned Professor Alexander D. Wozuzu Acholonu has eulogized his wife, Late Lolo Mary Ekeoma Acholonu, saying they were a match made in heaven.
He made the statement shortly after the interment of his late wife in Prof. Acholonu’s villa at Awaka, Owerri North LGA of Imo state.
The Academician while speaking to our correspondent, said his late wife had endearing and sterling qualities he would greatly miss, adding that they were like hand and glove.
Prof. Acholonu informed that late Mrs Mary was a kind, loving mother who together with him, raised their children to be God fearing, responsible and high achievers and also showed unparrelled love to him with a fond name, “Dearie”.
Trumpeta was reliably informed that Chief Professor Acholonu loved his wife that he tarred the road leading to his house – Chief Prof. Alex Acholonu close, in her honour.
It was also learnt that she was buried in an expensive steel coffin, not made with wood. What a fantastic way, to show true love!
In a Eulogy titled, ” How We See Our Mother” and read by the Fourth daughter, Barrister Esther Acholonu-Streete, they summarized their mother’s qualities as, a woman of strength, humour, excellence, a patient teacher, an encourager, a gracious and hospitable woman and a prayer warrior.
Earlier during the church service at the Holy Trinity Catholic church, Awaka, the officiating priest, Rev. Fr. Paschal Chikwendu Anyanwu in his homily, said that death as a necessary end is inevitable as humans die consciously and unconsciously every day. He said as such, Christians must be prepared at all times.
In her biography read by her First daughter Sandra, a Public Health Expert and an orthopedic nurse, Late Lolo Mary Ekeoma Acholonu, a native of Umuawuka, Emii in Owerri North LGA, was the eighth child of 11 children of her parents, Mr John and Mrs Grace Atukpawu and died as the oldest person in the family.
She started her secondary education in Nigeria at Mercy High School, Okigwe in the 60s before joining her husband to the US where she obtained her first degree in Biology on May 27, 1972 at the Inter American University in Puerto Rico and a second degree in Education at the University of Maryland on June 2,1994.
She subsequently, received a Master’s degree in Secondary education at Alcorn State University in Mississippi in May 28,1998.
According to the brochure, “On May 28, 1977 her professional career started at Our Lady of Apostle Secondary school, Yaba, Lagos State where she taught Biology until 1983. She became the Vice Principal at the Herbert Macaulay Grammar School in Lagos until October 1988, when she left for the US a second time.”
“Socially, Late Mary was active with the Nigeria Progressive Union, (NPU) in Mississippi and served as the chairlady of the NPU, Nigerian Women Cultural Group from 1989-2001. The group called her ” a woman of dignity, grace, beauty, humility, spirituality, tenacity and intellect”.
Lending her voice also, her third daughter and Board Member of non-profit medical organization, Horizon International Medical Mission, (HIMM), Engineer Lolo Mrs Leslie Acholonu-Okere, who paid glowing tribute to her mother, said that the qualities she learnt from her, she replicated in her home.
