AKUMEFULE Gloria Ogbonna, an industrious businesswoman, is dead. Ogbonna died of heart failure on April 2, 2017. She was 75.

According to the family programme, there will be a funeral service for her at St. Paul Anglican Church on Saturday, July 15. Interment is to follow immediately at the Ogbonna residence at Itu Isielu, Olokoro Umuahia South, Abia State on the same day.

The thanksgiving will also be held at St. Paul Anglican Church, Itu Isielu, Olokoro Umuahia South, on Sunday, July 16.

Ogbonna was born in September 1942 to the late Mr. and Mrs. Nwabuko of Umuobutu, Old Umuahia. She spent most of her childhood in her maternal home, Umuoparaozara, Olokoro, Umuahia and acquired enough basic education to be able to read and write.

In 1959, at about the age 18, she met and married the late Ezekiel Ogbonna, a deputy superintendent of Police. They had seven children and 24 grandchildren

Ogbonna was an industrious businesswoman whose main priority in life was her family. She and her husband worked extremely hard and suffered a lot of deprivations in search of a better life for their children.

As the wife of a policeman, she moved with her husband from one location to the other on duty transfers. She also travelled abroad many times to visit her children.

In all her travels, she always found the transfers as developmental opportunities for learning about other cultures or trading as she was always looking out for an opportunity to trade. She was very urbane and accommodating. Hence she able to acquire knowledge from other cultures and also spoke their languages. Little wonder, Ogbonna spoke Efik better than many of the natives.

The story of Ogbonna came to a tough climax in 1997 when her husband of almost 40 years passed on after so many years of ill health. With three children still undergraduates and not a lot to survive on, she soldiered on refusing to wallow in self-pity. She knew what she had to do to keep her family together.

Ogbonna was an accomplished woman who, to the world was graceful, hardworking, generous, and brave. But to her children she was everything, intercessor, adviser, confidant, their worst critic, and guardian.

She was diagnosed with a blocked aorta of the heart in 2003 and survived for long based on sheer willpower. She survived a terrible pneumonia in 2012 and subsequently her heart started failing her. In her worst times, she was still very independent, always had a brave face and refused to succumb to ill health.

On April 2, 2017, at the age of 75, Ogbonna succumbed to the cold hands of death after a heart failure.

“She will forever live in our hearts and fondly remembered by her children, grandchildren, family and friends,” a statement by the family said.

—  Jul 4, 2017 @ 12:50 GMT