Remembering Rufus Giwa 20 years after

Dearest father, it is 20 years today since you left the shores of the earth. It was all so sudden. Nothing could have ever prepared us for it and we wished that we’d been given the chance to say good-bye. The intense pain of separation we felt has dulled but the sense of loss lingers on, though it is made bearable by the memories you left us with.

Since you left, God has been faithful. We all graduated and are successful in our chosen fields. We married and are settled with wonderful spouses that you would have loved and fathered too.

Our many children, your grandchildren, have come to know about you through the stories we’ve told them. Even though they have not had the opportunity to glean directly from your wealth of wisdom, we have passed what you taught us to them and they too are doing very well and we know you are looking down from heaven with pride. We are who we are today because of you, because of your unconditional love, the values you instilled in each and every one of us, your unwavering faith in us and your relentless support for us. The way you extended the love you had for us to our friends and you becoming a father to them as well was laudable. You were exemplary!

You were the erudite accountant and we saw you work diligently to get to the peak of your career. You lived life well impacting people around you. Fostering relationships was important to you and many lives were touched by your love and generosity.
Music was your pastime. You loved to sing and dance and you had a passion for God and your commitment to the Anglican Church was unswerving.

We remember your charge to us as we grew up that “ You must love God and humanity. You must work hard with the single-minded determination to succeed. Remember the child of whom you are”. You always celebrated our achievements.

Today, 20 years on, we are grateful that God chose you to be our father. Thank you for being an exceptional father, the best we could ever have asked for. Rest on Papa!