A Tribute To My Egbon - Dr Olabisi Folamole Egejuru neè Phillips.
Despite the prayers and petitions to God, He recalled His angel home to Heaven! We cannot question God but must accept His sovereign will; afterall, He is our Creator and He Knows Best.
My dear Egbon, Cousin, Sister, Friend and Confidant has gone to rest and is free at last from ALL pains and wahala of planet earth. She valiantly fought and won many health battles over the past four years or so. The last battle of the recent 5 months, was the grand finale..... Hallelujah that she won this final battle with pain and has crossed over to heaven to be with her Lord and saviour forever in eternity.
We are very sad on earth and mourn her loss because we will miss her but Heaven is rejoicing because it has gained an angel. I will greatly miss her sha ooh.
I was her "Biimmm" as she fondly always called me.
We are first cousins because Bisi's dad was my father's immediate junior brother. In the family, it was a well known fact that we were very close (ten and six...). It was like she was my immediate senior sister. Bisi and I were the last borns in our families and since we both had boys born immediately before us (I had 3 boys and she had one), we just adopted each other as big and little sisters from as far back as we could both remember.
She went to Queen's School Ede/Ibadan (QSI) and I followed a year after. She went to Federal School of Science Omikan, Lagos, and I followed a year after. While there, she moved to YWCA hostel Onikan and I immediately followed..... She went to College of Medicine Uni-Lagos to study medicine and I went to School of Pharmacy Uni-Ife because there was no School of Pharmacy in College of Medicine in 1974. Even then, many of her female classmates at college of medicine knew me, because I was always visiting her there at her hostel.
At QSI, I had more friends among her classmates when we were at school than I did with mine. Bisi loved her Alma mater - QSI, and devoted her time, energy, emotions and finances to numerous events, projects, etc concerning the school. She was the President of her class for many years, President of the Lagos Chapter of the Queen's School Old Girls Association (QSOGA) and served on numerous committees. She was my inspiration for the active roles I have played in QSOGA National and Lagos Chapter affairs and my encourager for my maintaining my set's presidency over these many years.
Bisi was reknown for her gift as an excellent "Sewing Mistress" or "Fashion Designer" as said in Nigeria. Despite the fact that she was a medical doctor, she made fantastic outfits and we, her clients from "Bis Bis" - as her label was called, will greatly miss her! I guess I will resort to mostly plain iro and bubba henceforth.
I will definitely miss the visits and gisting at her shop, which was a rallying point for many of us. I will miss her saying "Biimmmm pay whatever you want to pay".
Bisi, I will really miss you my darling, loving egbon oooh!!!! Will miss your great jokes and hearty laughter that came from the heart... Will miss your physical and internal beauty and elegance... Will miss scolding you for your soft heart and over generosity, which made people take advantage of you...
Who will I get the latest gist from? Who do I get spiritual, social, moral, medical, etc advice from? Who will I attend QSOGA and family functions together with? The questions are endless!!!!
God bless and console us all in Jesus mighty name.
God is good in ALL that He does and I know He will comfort your husband, children, grandchildren, siblings and all of us that are already missing you. We shall continue to hold tightly to, and treasure ALL the wonderful memories that we have of you.
Rest In Perfect Peace Bisi, till we meet to part no more.
"Biimmm"
'Bimbola Dada neè Phillips