Eulogy
Alice Marjorie Yobera
The Ambassador
1933 - 2024
Early Life and Family:
Alice Marjorie Yobera was born in 1933 in Kampala, Uganda where her father served as a prisons officer at Luvira Prison. She was first surviving child of the late Hezekiah (Kisekia) and Martha Lulamba. She was sister to the late Yunia, the late Apollo Ongoma, Truphosa and Abednego Ongoma.
In December 1957, she married the love of her life, the late Joseph Yobera Obuya, and together they were blessed with six children, three boys and three girls: Evelyne Kumi Oduor, the late Samuel Dudley Obuya, Parrot Hezekiah Ongoma, Cyprian Godfrey Obwenyi, Roseland Hope Marchetti and Alma Martha Yobera. She had 14 grandchildren: Georgette & Rossa, Andrew, Laura, Ronald & Noelia, Zenton, Sharonne, Chalce, Chrys & Angela, Joash Josef (JJ), Christina, Jesse & Megs, Manuel, Allessandra, and 5 great-grandchildren, Jazmyne, Niamh, Saoirse, Violeta and Sebastian. She was loving Mother-in-love to Colonel (Rtd) Hosea Oduor, Christine Wanjiku Yobera, the late Damaris Akinyi Yobera, Jane Nthenya Yobera, Jayne Njeri Yobera, and Marco Marchetti.
A family reflection: Lessons from our mother, sister, grandma – The Ambassador.
Her love and commitment to the family were unequalled. She would do anything for us and to promote our well-being.
She modelled all the values of family life first by how much she loved and submitted herself to our dad, her husband. She was loyal, respectful, and committed to supporting him, especially in ministry. She spoke highly of him all her life even after his demise. Our sons who bear his name knew from her just how much she loved him by how she treated them always referring to them as Joe. So deep was her love for her husband that, her only burial requests was to be buried in her wedding dress if possible and next to her husband. She affirmed that other decision concerning her burial will be made by her children. In this we continue to honour her.
She had such a spirit of service; nothing was too small for her to do. We watched her many times hurrying to the gate to open it for one of us with as much joy as she did for any of her distinguished visitors and she had many. Her hospitality was complete and she cooked a hearty meal for any visitor who came to her house regardless of their station in life and loved feeding people with her bounties. This hospitality was so much a part of her that, while lying on her hospital bed four weeks ago, she caught herself asking her great-granddaughter to get drinks for the visitors who had come to see her. She made several personal visits to her children most of whom live in the diaspora, just to see how they were getting on and to attend their special days, like, births of her grandchildren, christening, ordinations into ministry, the list is endless.
Alice was a thrifty spender. She did not waste any of the resources God gave her. She hunted for bargains everywhere. Her home was fit for royalty but was created with carefully chosen pieces that she bought at bargains from friends and colleagues who were leaving the country. She made most of her clothes herself. She was an avid tailor. She would go to Gikomba (fly market) and buy cheap items of clothing because of the beautiful expensive-looking buttons they had, and she would use this to fashion her wardrobe and those of her girls as they were growing up.
She made a meat stew using ‘nyanya bondeka.’ (crushed tomatoes) She would tell us, “There is nothing wrong with this tomato, it is completely fresh, it just got crushed.” She bought these at a fraction of the price. The stew tasted better than any made with nyanya not bondeka (tomatoes not crushed).
She was an avid saver and a generous giver. She was a generous giver in her church. She would never talk about her contributions in church but after her demise, people have disclosed some of her generous acts to the family and we are amazed. She was a notable example in her faith to her family, always and constantly talking about her saviour. We could hear her praying for each one of us in her fervent prayers in her bedroom as she interceded for us and our children.
Healthy living:
Alice modelled healthy living for all of us. She was content to make gourmet meals for us while she sat down watching us eat as she enjoyed her brown ugali, traditional vegetables and a small piece of what she called ‘nyama nuka’. This was aged beef know Omuranda.
For many years, her chosen mode of transport was a bicycle. She cycled even while pregnant and taking children to hospital. Even while battling cancer, in the earlier stages, she would attend aerobic exercise sessions at church.
Bujumba, her home, her village:
How much she loved all of you! She knew all of you and talked about you like you were her immediate family. When she was healthy and well, we cannot count the number of trips she made upcountry by night bus to go and attend a wedding here, a funeral there. Many people have lived with her in Nairobi as they attend hospital appointments and needing convalescing care. Her children especially her boys have fond memories of sleeping in the storeroom because a visitor has arrived, and they have had to give up their bedroom.
Education and Career:
Between 1944 and 1947 Alice attended Bujumba Primary School where she completed standards 1-4 achieving her Primary School common entrance examination certificate. She then moved on to Butere Boarding Intermediate School for her standard 5-8. She then joining Vihiga Teacher Training College in 1952, where she achieved her Certified Primary School Teacher Certificate.
In 1957, she attended Machakos Technical Training College where she achieved a Diploma in Domestic Science. Her first teaching post was in Buhalalire Primary/Secondary School where she taught for several years. In 1964 she transferred and began teaching at her local Bujumba Primary School where she remained until the family moved to Nairobi. Ever pursuing excellence and self-development, she studied for and took her O Levels as a private candidate in 1975 and passed with flying colours. In 1978 she became a teacher at Arya Primary School in Ngara where again she taught for many years before transferring to the private school Arya Vedic. So excellent was her teaching and so valued was she by the school management and community that they prevailed on her to continue teaching there even years after she had reached retirement age.
Illness and Transition:
Alice was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer end of October 2021. Through the treatment which she accepted and bravely attended, she had little concern or worry for herself because she maintained that her suitcase to heaven had always been packed. She was ready to meet her maker whenever He saw it fit to call her home. If it was up to her, she would have left it all and gone to heaven. Some details about this will be narrated in a tribute from her son she called ‘Baba’. On the night of Friday 26th May 2024 Alice quietly slipped away in her hospital bed and is now joyfully singing with the angels in heaven. She is finally at home with her maker; a place she longed to go.
Family Reflection epilogue:
Even as she faced imminent death, we were encouraged and challenged by her non-complaining spirit. She remained strong and full of gratitude and grace. She was still encouraging us. She would light up when bible verses were read to her, or a worship song sung to her. Her testimony in life and to the end was ‘yote ni ya Mungu’!
Mama, when we grow up, we want to be just like you! We look forward to seeing you in heaven. Thank you for pointing the way there so clearly to all of us!