My condolences to every one. May God bless his soul. 

I missed his company for a long time. I wish I made a greater effort to be on his side. But my memories of the gentle and humorous Haile will remain with me and I cherish them.

Thank you Shashu.

This is a moment where it is hard to put words on paper.  It has taken me a while to really digest the reality of it.  Words fail me when trying to express the deep sadness and grief Haile Redda’s passing has caused my family.  With deep sorrow, we sat around and began recalling our beautiful time with Haile. We had known Haile for decades and when he moved to Seattle, our relationship grew even stronger. Haile was not just a friend but a brother who was a part of our family.  He stayed with us for a while until he settled himself in Seattle between 1984 and 1987. And it was during that time that our lives became intertwined for the better.  We were family.
 
Today we lost a remarkable son, brother, and friend. It is difficult to quantify the many beautiful memories we have of Haile.  So many memories, beautiful, touching and humorous, come to mind when reminiscing on our time with our brother.  Haile was the kind of person that would strike up a conversation with anyone be it a child, a teenager, someone his age or an elder.
His demeanor was humble as he approached everyone with respect.  I recall a funny story when Haile went on a walk around the block with my mother.  This particular morning, they encountered a dog.  Apparently both my mother and Haile did not feel at ease. Haile later confessed that he was really afraid of the dog and said that he jumped behind my mother.  And my mother, who did not speak any English, immediately figured she should communicate in English with the dog.  Thus, she picked up a rock and said “Go! Go! Go!” at which point the dog left to their relief. They walked back and Haile told us the story and his description of his fright. He revealed that he felt safe and protected ducking behind my mother’s Netela. We all laughed until our stomachs hurt.

Another epic memory with Haile that we often recall was back when our eldest child was about 4 or 5 years old. Haile was entertaining him when somehow the idea of going to the movies came up. Haile said “I’ll take you to the movies tomorrow”.  My son then asked Haile “when is tomorrow?”  Haile, to simplify matters for him answered, “tomorrow comes after you sleep and get up”.  My son then decided to take his nap. He slept about 30 minutes before he woke up and marched directly to Haile, asking “is today tomorrow because I just woke up from my sleep?” We will forever cherish the laughter and joy that followed and appreciate Haile for memories like these.  
 
We miss Haile dearly.  What we are holding on to are the memories and the beautiful time we spent with him. He will live with us in Spirit and we are beyond Blessed to have had an experience with him.  Our condolences to all his friends and family.
 
May his soul rest in Peace.
 
Shashu Habtu
Solomon Tadesse and Family
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