Eric was a man of the people. He was very much loved by the people that knew him and he even knew how to pull out a smile from people he just met. His sense of humor was extraordinary, just as he was very outspoken. He made friends easily, and no matter where he met people (at the Mall, church, street or where ever) he could start up a conversation with anyone about anything within the twinkle of an eye. Many people thought he talked too much. But he considered himself a consummate salesman who could buy and sell the invisible. Doubtless, therefore, that every encounter for him was a sales opportunity that he had to initiate, advance or close.

He and his wife spent all their time together. They used one car, went to work together, business trips, put all their business structures together. They had their business meetings in the car, during dinner, in bed etc.

He loved children and was a mentor to many. He spent most of his time with his daughter - taking her to all the places kids love to go: the mall, the playground, swimming pool, Chuckey Cheeses, zoo etc.

Eric loved dancing. He enjoyed Makossa, particularly the old timers. He loved listening to African Gospel music especially Agatha Moses and Sunny Okosun. He also loved African comedy, and drama with characters like Nkem Owoh, Patience Ozokwor and Sam Loco. He loved reading and listening to inspirational speakers.

He loved Photography.

He was not only energetic, he was athletic. In his younger days he was an acrobat and a soccer player. He always had these wonderful memories about his soccer days with his friends (like Ekeme Ndiba). In the 1970s he used to be the conductor of the Presbyterian School Kumba town band. He caught the admiration of little girls like Gladys who was one of his greatest admirers. He also loved swimming and actually taught Bongkem to swim when she was just three. He gave Bongkem some gymnastic lessons and she could do head stands from the age 3.

Eric was a great inspiration to Gladys. He always told her he would do everything for her and he did within the short time they were together. His love for his family was unquestionable. Even though he was sick he never let that crowd his mind. He did all he could to keep his family comfortable. He had a very positive mind set and during his battle with cancer he never let the Doctors prognosis bother him. He spent time discussing his future business endeavors with his wife. Family and friends that visited him during his struggle were very inspired by his faith in God. Even in his dying bed he was still looking forward to life. Such courage as he had is not very common to come by these days.

Eric lived a pretty healthy life: no drinking, no smoking, and no junk food. Like most every Kom man he loved Fufu corn and njamanjama. He also enjoyed pounded yam and bitter leaf/skenenkene/okra soup. He loved salads and fruits.

Eric was a healthy man until 2007 when he experienced some anal bleeding and decided to visit his doctor. The only reason he decided to consult his doctor with this issue was because of an article he read on CAMNET (a Cameroonian news group) published by Mr. Christmas Ebeni.  When he saw his doctor in February 2007 he was sent to undergo a colonoscopy which resulted in the diagnosis of stage 3 colorectal cancer. He and Gladys were shaken to their bones when the Dr. told them. Four days after diagnosis he had surgery. A good portion of his colon was cut off. Out of the fourteen lymph nodes taken out four were already affected.

He had a total of three surgeries, underwent chemotherapy and radiation for about a year.  He had a colostomy bag for about a year. He was in remission for about three years and declared cancer free until 2010 when the cancer came back not in the colon but in the inside of his stomach wall. This tumor was taken out and about six months later four new tumors appeared, in early 2011. It had spread to his abdomen and lungs. The Doctors gave him 3 to 6 Months to live with or without Chemotherapy.  Eric discussed the choices with his family and he opted to do some alternative treatment.

 All through his battle he was up-bit, full of energy and very determined. He looked forward to doing great things in the future. He and his wife spent time discussing new business ventures and really made sure that his illness did not take control of their lives. They knew he was going through this battle but they had more exciting things to be concerned about.  With this attitude when the time finally came it was really like a thief in the night. It stole away all the excitement and Eric could see all his dreams fade away within the twinkle of an eye.

About three Months before he passed, he started experiencing shortness of breath. This actually took a toll on him and he lost appetite. He could not drink, not even water. As a result he drastically lost over 100 pounds in a short space of time. His body was retaining a lot of fluids (swollen feet and bowels). When he went for check up the diagnosis was that the cancer had spread in both lungs and his liver. At that point the doctors asked him to seek hospice care to help him die without pain. With his faith intact, he said no to their offer and returned home. Since his appetite was so reduced, his sugar level dropped so fast. He was rushed to the emergency room twice. The third time was on Saturday June 2nd 2012 when the paramedics had to revive him because he had no pulse. He was taken to the hospital and discharged on the 4th under hospice care. He spent a night at home and at 7am on June 5th he passed away peacefully in the presence of loved ones.

The lesson that Gladys and Eric learned from all this and that he would have loved to share with anyone that came his way is that, cancer is a battle, it comes like a thief in the night to steal, kill and destroy. It is a fierce battle and whatever weapon you have do use it. Never relent nor fall asleep because by the time you wake up it might be too late to fight back. Be alert at all times and do not let anyone decide your fate. Everyone’s life is in their hands. Whatever the case carry out research and make informed decisions. Do not give up and remember only the Good Lord has the final decision when to call you home. Eric was called home to Lord in the presence of his family and loved ones. He was at peace with himself and his God.

All who knew Eric can attest that he was a God fearing man who was humbled by faith. He was a member of the Living Faith Church in Manassas and even though he was handicapped by his illness, his faith kept him going till the very end.

Eric and Gladys owned and operated a small business in Manassas, Virginia,   Musa Trading Services exporting secondary commodities into developing countries thereby creating jobs for a lot of people overseas. When Eric was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in 2007 Gladys was inspired to export overseas as a means of generating income to sustain the family during Eric’s treatment. Eric embraced this idea and they both worked relentlessly putting all the structures together for the project. They secured contracts with some county Governments as their main suppliers in some recycling programs. Gladys called this endeavor “Divine Intervention”.  In early 2012 with some humanitarian considerations, Gladys and Eric decided to start up a Dollar Thrift store to serve the Manassas community and its environs. The idea was to provide all clothing to the public at a flat price of $1 a piece regardless of the brand name. They had envisaged that this would provide the public an opportunity to save money on a basic necessity like clothing in this challenging economy. Just as soon as the Manassas community began embracing this concept Eric’s battle peaked. 

Eric was a business development and Sales Lead Generator, with experience and demonstrated ability to introduce services/products and expand sales into new and existing customers within the banking /financial industry. He was capable of managing, budgeting, scheduling, and planning various vendor/services provider relationships. He had experience in collecting and analyzing daily, weekly and monthly data, to produce quarterly and annual reports. He was capable of monitoring, ensuring and documenting various skill levels of clients and making recommendations.

 He was unquestionably an effective communicator, facilitator, collaborator, and team player. He had an intimate understanding of client services. Eric was adept at problem solving, developing and implementing various programs to enhance and to promote services, and possessed sound business judgment, decisiveness, and understanding of business development process.

Eric attended primary school in PS Kumba Town from 1971 to 1978. He went on to secondary school in KBTC Kom and Longla Bamenda. In search for better opportunities, Eric’s quest for knowledge took him to the United States in June 1986, where he resided in Maryland on arrival. Eventually he moved to Cincinnati, Ohio where, for whatever reason, he was popularly known to close friends as “Abouem Achuyi”. In Ohio, he met people like Javas Ngala, Rose Mary Chi, and Christopher Che among others. Christopher Che became a father figure to him, inspiring him to go to college and receive his Bachelor of Arts degree in International Administration from New England College, Henniker New Hampshire in 1992. Seven years later in 1999, Eric completed his Masters in Business Administration from Rivier College in Nashua New Hampshire. He also completed the Dr. Michael Hammer’s Seminar on Business Process Re-engineering and Implementing Change in 1999 and attended seminar and training on Total Quality Management I Teradyne, NH in 1990.

 While in Nashua he met and married Ziyadah and they lived together till early 2000. After their divorce, he moved to Centreville Virginia to live with his sister Prudencia Ngundam and then to Manassas Virginia in 2004, where he lived till he died.

Tim Eric Alan Komfum was born on August 9th 1965 in Buea, Cameroon. He was born to the late Casimir Tum Komfum, who was a prison administrator, and Magdalene Natang, presently living in their family home in Nitop - Bamenda, Cameroon.  He was the 6th child of eight siblings: Raphael (of blessed memory), Grace (of blessed memory), Prudencia, Joseph (of blessed memory), Matthew, Stephen, and younger siblings Dorothy and Michael (also of blessed memory). All told, Eric is the fifth sibling who has answered the early call from the great beyond.

 He got married to Gladys Musa Komfum on 11Th March 2005 in Manassas, Virginia, and their union was crowned on December 22nd 2005 with the birth of baby girl Bongkem Afumbom Komfum. Their love tale, which began at the Presbyterian elementary school in Kumba town, from 1975 to 1978, was interrupted as both followed separate paths to further their education (Gladys to England and Eric to USA). Destiny later reunited them in 2001, while Gladys was in Germany. Eric fell in love and shared of his happiness with the world around him.  Eric was a loving husband. He was a loving father. His family came first in everything he did.