Dear Lord, it's Death again - He's always there - Watching, waiting - e'er the stare

Every time I look behind

Or reach to pull the window blind

Oh death, please be kind

An Angel whispered to him take my hand and

come with me

you're work here is done.

Gone...but where?

I cannot call you on the phone or knock on your office door

No matter how loud I cry and scream you can’t respond

My eyes filled up with tears as I heard the news

It never occurred to me, how much I and you stand to lose

I find myself wishing that it wasn't real

Every time I think about it, the pain I still feel

When you lose someone it can be hard to take The pain that you feel when your heart has to break The memories we will keep, are all in your mind

We will feel better, I am sure with time

To be absent from the body

Is to be present with the Lord Your dust returns to earth Your spirit returns to God

 1.The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

 2. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; and my cup runneth over.

 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

When God ordains, He sustains.

May God bless us all!  Rest, rest in peace Dr. K, thank you for everything, and goodbye my friend!  Amen

Pa Elias, you left us way too soon. Your kindheartedness, warmth, love and generosity will be missed by so many.

I still have vivid memories of my first trip to Ft. Lauderdale, FL in 2006. You came by my hotel and picked me up and took me to your home where we (you, Franca, Lourdes and Doreen) all sat down to a well prepared meal, roasted fish and miondo to be precise by your dear wife Francesca. I still cherish the great memories and laughter we shared during that visit. Our next encounter was in 2007 when you came to Chicago with your entire family for my graduation from optometry school. Last but not the least when I had my first baby in 2011 you called my husband and I to extend your well wishes and welcomed us into parenthood.

Pa Elias, your death has come as a shock to all of us.

You lived an admirable life here on earth. You had such an outstanding character; a character that truly defined you as an individual- a man full of grace, love, patience and principles. Pa Elias, you left a lasting yet pleasant impact on so many lives. Pa Elias, you were as "GOOD" as they come.

Your legacy will live forever through Lourdes, Lyndon and Liam.

Francesca, may God comfort and give you strength as you raise these three lovely children into great leaders just like their father.

We will miss you dearly, Pa Elias.

May your gentle soul rest in perfect peace.

Anwi Ngando Etame

 

The death of my friend and coworker Dr. Elias "Dr. K" Konwufine's was a total shock to all of us. It was so unexpected. Dr. K was a valued member of our graduate school and I had the pleasure of working with him on many committees and projects. He was a tireless worker and a great asset to our work and to the world of academia.  

I know that death is never easy to accept, but I know that when it is so unexpected it adds to the grief. I know for sure that I would have liked the opportunity to let him know how highly regarded he was. I will always be sorry that I didn't do that as much as I should have.  Dr. K and I had an African connection, me from Morocco and him from Cameroun established an early and immediate bond between us from day one since our first encounter.  Dr. K spent few of his formidable years in Morocco, and had only wonderful memories of my birth country.  We spent hours discussing African culture, traditions, and how lucky we were to live in the wonderful United States of America, a country where all cultures were represented, each contributing to the wealth and strength of this nation.   We mainly did all our conversations in French as he was fluent in several languages.  It was always so therapeutic talking to him…I will always miss him.

Zachary M. Lahlou, MD, MBA

Some 21 years back in Pss mankon ,we met and he was very focus and simple. He had it all and came from a humble family with elders every where to support him in his education. he never took that as  power to show off but it humbled him to always listen to others and and make his humble contributions.

He never actaully shouted nor bully some of his mates as some of us did,but he was willing to listen and share his humble ideas. He was a close friend to Haddison Ndah and they always joke around with issues.

He strive for the best and was a very neat friendly mate that will assist others when yu come to him that you dont have in terms of going for outings. he will help where he can.

This gentile soul of Konwufine continued in CPC Bali, i wasn't in the same dorm like him but he was still with Haddison and we always visti each other and he cater for his mates in the dorm and assisted a great deal. i remember very vividly, Haddison can testify to this,his elder brother send him Coats, and he never new that it was Super 200, and he actually look it and said its not that you and he use it to sleep with it, until he discovered that it was an expensive coats that his eklder brother sent to him. This goes to show how he look at material things and never really attached too much value to them.

He had walkie talkie that when he campaign as a Prefect in CPC Bali, i have forgotten his prefectship but he won and was still humbly through his campaigns.  I was broke while in bali college and i went to him and he was able to spot my frustrations and assisted me and many others who will say he his a humble soul.

Indeed i am humbled by his down to earth enteraction with his mates and school mates. Indeed he left us too soon but his legacies last in us. in my home language i say Nyingong buaseh wuh a Konwufine.

Pa K, the very first time I met you, we greeted each other tenderly and the immediate next thing you did made you Stand Out to me. “Where men were standing you were Outstanding”. You showed so much concern about my studies and education which enhanced the gifts of an educator which you were. Next you asked me “Estella, have you met my wife Franca? Then you seized your lovely wife by the arm towards me and you said to me “Estella, this is my beautiful wife Franca and we are blessed with two lovely kids” (Then). Immediately, I saw in you a Proverbs 31: 10-31 man. I admired the way you talked about your wife and children. To me it was remarkable. I saw in you an adoring, loyal and dedicated husband and father, and I blessed the Lord for your life.

 AWESOME, was what I described your personality from then….BUT…

As we look back over time
We find ourselves wondering.....
Did we remember to thank you enough
For all you have done for us?
For all the times you were by our sides
To help and support us .....
To celebrate our successes
To understand our problems
And accept our defeats?
Or for teaching us by your example,
The value of hard work, good judgment,
Courage and integrity?
We wonder if we ever thanked you
For the sacrifices you made.
To let us have the very best?
And for the simple things
Like laughter, smiles and times we shared?
If we have forgotten to show our
Gratitude enough for all the things you did,
We're thanking you now.
And we are hoping you knew all along,
How much you meant to us.

If we are fortunate, we are given a warning.

If not, there is only sudden horror, the wrench of being torn apart;
of being reminded that nothing is permanent, not even the ones we love,
the ones our lives revolve around.

Life is a fragile affair. We are all dancing on the edge of a precipice,
a dizzying cliff so high we can’t see the bottom.
One by one, we lose those we love most into the dark ravine.

So we must cherish them without reservation.
Now. Today. This minute.
We will lose them or they will lose us someday. This is certain.
There is no time for bickering. And their loss will leave a great pit in our hearts;
a pit we struggle to avoid during the day and fall into at night.

Some, unable to accept this loss, unable to determine the worth of life without them, jump into that black pit spiritually or physically, hoping to find them there.

And some survive the shock, the denial, the horror, the bargaining, the barren,
empty aching, the unanswered prayers, the sleepless nights when their breath is crushed under the weight of silence and all that it means.

Somehow, some survive all that and, like a flower opening after a storm,
they slowly begin to remember the one they lost in a different way…
The laughter, the irrepressible spirit, the generous heart,
the way their smile made them feel, the encouragement they gave
even as their own dreams were dying.

And in time, they fill the pit with memories that really matter.
We will still cry. We will always cry.
But with loving reflection more than hopeless longing.

And that is how we survive.
That is how the story should end.
That is how they would want it to be.

By Mark Rickerby

A limb has fallen from the Konwufine family tree....
Elias would say...Grieve not for me...
He would say..Remember the best times, the laughter, his favorite music, his most favorite moments he spent with his family...
He would say the good life he lived and share with love ones while he was alive...
He would say continue my heritage, as he's counting on his family to do so...
He would say keep smiling and surely the sun will shine through...
He would say his mind is at ease, his soul is at rest...
He would say remember all, how he truly was blessed...
He would say to continue the traditions, no matter how small...
He would say go on with you life, don't worry about falls...
He would say he misses you all dearly, so keep up your chin..
He would say the day will come we would be together again....

I guess god loved you more than we could ever love you on earth. 
I always looked up to you. You allowed me to realize how far i could go if i was commited to hard work. When we were younger we competed on who could earn the best grades......most of the time you won. I always bragged about your accomplishments, as if they were my own. I pray that god give me another inspiration, now that you are gone, cause i feel like in the dark without my flashlight.  I lost u, but i gained 3 little ones that i promise to love as if they were my own. Please watch over us while you are in heaven, cause it will be so hard here on earth without you . i still cant believe you are gone, and i want to wake up from this nightmare. 
Until we meet again 
I love you ,
Your niece Doreen Ayafor