Family, friends bid final goodbye to Grace Ugona 

Fri, Apr 23, 2021

By editor

4 MIN READ

Her funeral rites held on Tuesday, April 13, with a service of songs at the Ugona Family compound, Ire Village, Obosi, and on Wednesday, April 14, she was laid-in-state. This was followed by a Requiem Mass in her honor while her interment followed immediately after. The reception, which was a celebration of a life well spent followed with entertainment of guests immediately at the same venue in Ogona’s family compound.

The thanksgiving service is held on Sunday, April 18, at the St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Obosi.

Ugona before her death was a woman of many talents. She was a talented dressmaker, a civil servant, and a teacher. And has been described as an easy-going person who belonged to several social and religious groups among which are:  the Udoka Age Group in Obosi, a founding member of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Obosi meeting (Lagos branch), President General, Catholic Women Organization, CWO, home and abroad for 14 years, president, Nigeria Women For Christ, Women for Christ, Lagos Intl’, Vice President Obosi Development Union, ODU,  Lagos branch, Patroness CWO, St. Theresa’s Obosi, Patroness ODU, Lagos branch.

Until her death, Nneoma was a born again Christian, who belonged to the Full Gospel Business Men Fellowship, Ikeja, a member of Friendship Bible Coffee, Lagos, and a member of the Friendship Bible Coffee in Enugu, which she started in 1993; a Christian organization where women are brought together to study Gods word.

According to her biography, Grace Nwakaego Ugona, popularly known as Nneoma was born to Joseph Aniegboka Ufoeze of Umuodogwu clan, Umoukwasala Royal family in Umuota village Obisi, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State, and Lucy Nwabuisiaku Ufoeze on Sunday, January 3, 1932, in Kaduna State, where her father was a civil servant with the Public Works Department, now Federal Ministry of Works.

Before she could complete her primary education, her father was transferred to Enugu State in 1942 where she resumed her education.

Due to her brilliance, her teachers at standard 5 encouraged her to take the entrance exams into the Queens College, Lagos, and the Bishop Crowther Memorial Grammar School, Port Harcourt, which she did and passed seamlessly. However, her father opted for Queens College.

She began her secondary education in 1947 through 1951 when she sat for the Cambridge School Certification and passed with distinctions.

In 1952, she furthered her education at the United Mission College in Ibadan, where she did a one-year Pivotal Teacher Course.

She taught for a few months at the Bethel College, Onitsha, until her love for her hometown took her back to teach at the Central School, Obosi. By this time, she could fluently speak the three major Nigerian languages of Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, and of course, the English language

In 1954, she got married to Samuel Patrick Chukwuma, an Engineer from Sheffield University England.

Ugona is blessed with four children – late Emeka Ugona, who retired as a General Manager with Total, E&P Nigeria LTD, Chuoby Ugona, medical consultant Obstetrician/Gynecologist in Enugu, Nkiru Ezeagbo, advanced nurse practitioner, London, and Chudy Ugona, consultant Obstetrician/Gynecologist, Abuja,

Nneoma will continue to be remembered as a woman who lived a life worthy of emulation.

2020 Apr 23 @ 08:44 GMT|

A.I