A FAREWELL TO THE PHENOMENAL MRS DELLA NCHAMI
"Del" is what our mum, Mrs. Aza Anna Kilo, fondly called her bosom friend. It was enviable, the kind of love and support they gave each other first after our dad, Mr. Sylvester Kindzeka Kilo, passed on and later when Uncle Vincent Nchami followed.
Phenomenal is the adjective that best describes Aunty Della. Never seen an American so devoted and attached to her Cameroonian home. This bond was to be exhibited in the name she gave her first daughter, Camerica. Where would you find an American woman,hoe in hand in the farm, on the steering of a 12 ton truck dropping off firewood to her friend and sister to support the cooking for a major event, or sitting and cooking in the typical Cameroonian traditional kitchen with its three stone fireside,or sling her home carer's child on her back to sooth her to sleep as she paces up and down that beautiful courtyard of the Nchami residence in Bambui?
Aunty Della was simply THE BEST cake maker Cameroon ever saw. Her wedding fruit cakes moved heads and hearts and lasted as long as the couple stayed together....didn't,t we eat of the "Larry- Laura Love Loop" in Boston15 years ago? Yes, and a tier of their ageless wedding cake is still in the freezer. Shall we talk about her cooking skills? My God, never has a woman displayed such dexterity in the kitchen. She was awesome!
We remember Aunty Del telling mummy as they catered for a wedding reception, how much Uncle Vincent loved her beans.....she went, "Anne, you know, whenever I cook this beans for house eh, ahahaha that day eh, Daddy eh, na me na yi". We so loved it when she spoke pidgin. We first heard about the meal "Ndomba" from our Aunty Della. Her wide experience in Cameroon exposed her to all the traditional main meals of the four cultural areas of Cameroon. Her food was loved and enjoyed by everyone who had a chance to taste it.. Her deserts were yummy...ooooh the Pineapple- Custard cake, this only after savouring her finger licking Fish- Mayonnaise.. Jeeeez, Aunty Del our mouths water as we recount fond memories of you.
This unique lady was so sweet!! She spoke pidgin in a peculiar way. We often wondered how anybody would have such love and passion for a foreign culture which became completely hers upon marriage. She loved Cameroon with all her might. Little wonder she decided to go back and breath her last there of, and be laid beside the MAN, Mr. Vincent Nchami who took her across continents to find a new abode.
Aunty Del,s golden hands did thread some needles as her legs ran the pedals of her sewing machine. We often wondered how God would endow one woman with sooooo much. She made beautiful dresses and decor for the interior of homes. You ought to have seen the drapes in her home. Yes she was Phenomenal. Her talents were abounding and her heart, full of compassion and Love. A great disciplinarian she was. She laid a heavily determined hand on her children and we were not spared her rod either. It was thus very easy to make a choice of our wife Laura, from amongst her well groomed children.
She stood solidly behind us, as Aunty, Mother in law, and grandma, more so after our mum passed on. Aunty Della remained particularly close to our eldest Sister Helen and asked to see her before departing to eternity. Sister Helen missed out on this as she was out town.
Aunty Della was a great pillar for us to lean on. Until her death she never let us down. We will continue to pay tribute to you in the hope that more women can learn from you, the beauty in simplicity, kindness and compassion
Go well, Aunty Della. You have done well. Yours is life to CELEBRATE indeed.
THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU. MAY YOUR SOUL REST IN PEACE. HUGS TO MUMMY ANNE. KILO. SHE IS AT THE GATES WITH FLOWERS TO WELCOME YOU. SLEEP, SLEEP SLEEP!!!!!
We love you dearly.
Sister Helen, Solomon, Maureen, Larry, Kila and Yaah Bah'ti
