A BRIGHT LIGHT EXTINGUISHED FOREVER- the demise of an angel

Yesterday was a very sad day for me. I attended a wake keeping service for a very dear friend who succumbed to to the relentless grip of death after a very protracted and valiant battle with cancer. Her name was Nwaola Patricia Okpara and she was a very remarkable woman, a pillar of strength who by the very essence of her character left those around her feeling more enriched. We came from the same hometown of Arochukwu in the Eastern region of Nigeria, and we both lived in the same house, when we first arrived in New York City, although not at the same time, with her uncle Mr. Nwosu, who is a very close childhood friend of my father. Nwaola had that frank way of gazing into your soul and dismantling your very guard. With Nwaola, there were no pretensions - what you saw was what she was, a no-nonsense woman who brimmed with efficiency, yet had a tenderness that was infectious and drew people to her. She worked harder than anyone that I knew and held many distinguished positions in various capacities, ranging from Certified Public Accountant to Licenced Real Estate practitioner. In the final months of her life, even as the battle with cancer raged and ravaged her body, she refused to succumb to self pity and continued to face life with the same enthusiasm that made her Nwaola; she returned to her position as a supervisor with the Police department and even then, left a major impact on her co-workers and subordinates. Nwoala married a man after her heart, a man who became the glue that held the family together after the scepter of her illness threatened to wrench the foundation of that loving family apart. At her wake keeping service, her teenage daughter Roseline gave a moving tribute to her mother with a song that she composed herself, beautifully rendered with a depth of emotion that brought a lump to every throat. Her two sons sat stoically next to their father, embodying the great strength of character that that bespoke their mother's character. Nwaola would have been proud of them. The service was absolutely beautiful, held in the spectacular chapels of the Church Of Christ in midtown Manhattan, a church where she was a regular member with her family. The fact that she traveled that far to attend church also spoke volumes about the resoluteness of her character. It also showed her absolute faith and trust in God, even in the midst of the ongoing battle for her life, which spanned a period that stretched for over fifteen years. Like her husband Dr. Okpara said about his wife, if love was a weapon that kept the illness at bay, Nwaola would have still been here with us today. If strength of character was enough to keep the disease away, Nwaola would have crushed it in a minute without even showing a hint of what she went through, and with her beautiful smile intact. Nwaola received the fullest honor of a going away tribute. The chapel was lined by scores of New York's finest in full regalia, who stood upright from the very portal of the church and stood at strategic locations for the entirety of the service. They also acted as her pall bearer and at the end, lined up in full formation around her casket, giving her the full salute and finally, bearing her remains with all the pomp accorded a Head of State or in this case, the heroine that she was. Nwaola would have approved, and with her characteristic smile, she would have said, "God is good."