There is God in Heaven, but to me, Pa Abam Awamunang Samuel is the closest being to an earthly god for very good reasons. From birth until I was about 12, I lived with my parents. I knew I had an older brother only from pictures of him. It was understood that he was away at school and later, he was doing some research work, until when he qualified as a Chemist.

During my day as a school boy, wearing shoes was a privilege reserved mostly for the big boys who attended college.  A watershed moment in my life happened in 1960, when I accompanied my brother’s wife, (whom we fondly called Abot.)  Abot had just been betrothed to my big brother and I going to live with them to help out with the chores at home and go to school there. We boarded a Tipper truck and travelled to Tiko where my brother lived and worked. My eyes opened to a strikingly new and different civilization that I had never known existed.

For the first time in my life, I lived in a house with electricity, and pipe borne water supply—with a toilet right inside the house itself. It was amazing. The house was very close to the General Hospital which was also very convenient.  In fact, my life was instantly transformed.  From sleeping on a small naked bamboo bed in the village in the NW, I was now the proud owner of a bed with wooden frames and a soft mattress in a big house in Tiko. I was bathing in a shower and using a flushing toilet system for the first time.

Breakfast was now bread and tea before school. I also ate lunch and supper. I did my homework and other activities under the bright glare of electricity and only occasionally used firewood.  It was an ideal time for me, which I enjoyed up until when I went to C.P.C. 

I grew up, started working at the bank and earning my own money.  I built a home and started a family of my own.  All these have been made possible owing largely to Pa’s generous assistance. I was not the only one whose fees he paid. He extended his generosity to the entire family— my older sister  Ma Rebecca Achimbi, brother Elias of blessed memory, my younger siblings Goddy, Moses, Ma Rose and Joseph Abam—all in the US today have benefited from his largesse.

Pa is a great developer and architect not only in our family circles, but in the municipality and the entire Cameroon Nation— as a counselor, Founder of the  City Chemist Pharmacy,  laying the foundation of the City Chemist Round About, AZICCUL Bamenda and many other projects for development, for social and political advancement.

The greatest of your achievements is evident in the success of all your children; now grown up and having families of their own. They are building up the family legacy in the manner after which you raised them. You should feel proud that they are extending the same assistance to the rest of the family, in this continuous cycle of generosity which you started.

Pa, the City Chemist foundation you laid down is flourishing very well under the distinguished Directorship of your first son Ephraim Tibi Abam, with me as its Manager.

My respects and gratitude to you, always.

 Emmanuel  Abam

My Dear Daddy,

I will like to take this time to thank you for being the greatest dad any child could ever ask for. I want to also thank you for all of my brothers and sisters—elders whose footsteps I am confident to walk in, thanks to the way you raised us. You mean so much to me and I am so thankful for all the love and support that you have give me.

In fact I know that many will say this, but when the truth is incontrovertible, we can only repeat it—for I  am who I am today thanks to the love and support I have received from you.  Words cannot express how much I love you.

Growing up in Bamenda, you have always been the strict but loving father.  As the patriarch of the family, you wear your responsibilities with aplomb. You made our family a home not only to raise us, your immediate children, but you embraced the rest of the family, taking care of everyone else’s children too.  In Meta quarters, everyone calls you Papa because of all the love you show towards your children as well as those in the community. You are the kind of dream neighbour and community leader everyone longs to have.

Papa, how can I express how lucky I am for setting me on a great path to academic success? You enrolled me in the best schools both in Cameroon and advised me for the ones in America. From Social Insurance Nursery school, PS Azire, PSS Mankon, CPC Bali, Metropolitan State University of Denver to Regis University—my path was cleared thanks to your invaluable input.  I thank the almighty for being one of a few lucky kids to have a father like you.

You raised us with Christian values—to have faith in God. You taught us good manners—to be respectful to our elders and be upright citizens of the world. I want you to know that I will continue to follow all of your teachings—for no one can fault them.

I am blessed to have with the best mummy in the whole world in Abbot, four wonderful brothers (Ephraim, Charlie, Daniel and Abi) and two awesome sisters in Maggie and Edith. I am thankful for my career in systems engineering as you have always pushed me and always made sure I was doing well at school. With all your love and teachings, I am proud to tell you that I did not disappoint you as the good Lord has blessed me with a great job at the Boeing Company.

Papa, I cannot take any credit for all these achievements. Much credit goes to you and to the rest of the family who served as my shield of support to lean on. You are the best dad in the world. I don’t know where I will be today without you. I love you so much daddy and I miss you. I so wish I could be home this holiday to spend some more precious time with you, but God willing, I will be home soon.

Thank you dad, for always being there when I needed you.  Even if I never told you this before, know that I consider you as the number one dad in the world, never to be bested by anyone else.

I love you, and I miss you. I pray to the almighty that I will get to spend some more precious time with you.

Thank you papa, I love you and mum so much.

Your dearest son,

John Endeley Ndifor Abam

Whenever I set a task for myself; irrespective of the scope and magnitude, there is always that still small voice of reassurance in the background that guides me to pause and think. I think on the consequences of my actions on me, my family, friends, community and above all my God. That gentle voice accompanies me throughout my life’s sojourn until today, when I sit and reflect on how best to phrase my thoughts about my Dad—for that stable voice of wisdom has always been my dad’s.

I feel ultimately blessed and immensely thankful to God for the gift of my parents Samuel Awamunang & Rebecca Keng, whose exemplary love has shaped the being that I am. Your selfless sacrifices, your boundless generosity, your obvious honesty have been inestimable to the family and the larger community.

Your committed service to the church and your love of God are unquestionable. Even though I am today a man with a family—I am  always coming back to lean on your shoulders when I’m scared, to wipe the tears from my eyes when I cry, to seek your befitting advice when I doubt and above all to find my way when I’m lost. I am so lucky having you as my parents and cannot thank you, PAPA & ABOT, enough for the care and love you provide not only for me but also for my sisters and brothers.

I have grown to know you, Dad, as a very caring, peaceful, generous and loving man, who will go the extra mile for your family. Being the eldest child to your parents you assumed responsibilities towards your siblings when you were yourself still an adolescent. You are honest, modest, impartial and respectful to everyone you come across.

Papa, you provided a solid platform for our education—never failing to emphasize what should be our priorities.  You teach by examples and by your hard work, you taught us that success in life comes from the hard graft of endurance. When times were tough you provided appropriate words that dispelled the heavy clouds. Today, I draw inspiration from you as a father in my young family and pray to be able to pass on the examples you set to the next generation.

Dad, your professional ethics is has been a mirror that reflects and radiates through us, from a distance when we needed guidance. Your   meticulous approach in dealing with difficult issues, your promptness in time keeping, your charitable spirit towards the public, your co-workers and colleagues are enviable manners to emulate. I believe that your success as the sole proprietor of the pioneer pharmacist in Bamenda is largely owed to the unquestioning integrity of your character.

Dad, you are a true citizen of the community. I will like to commend you for his honesty and modesty, serving as a co-founder of the Azire Cooperative Credit Union Limited (AZICCUL), today one of the most successful unions in Cameroon, long serving PTA chair of my secondary (PSS Mankon) and high schools (CPC Bali) and the treasurer of several social networks and Associations to the prime satisfaction of the respective institutions.

As committed Christians, you and mum devoted a lot of time to the Lord in service and worship. I have learnt to always give thanks and praise God each day because of you. You have always been very particular about church attendance on Sundays. How habits die hard; for today, though we may be thousands of miles apart, you haven’t stopped asking us to keep up this habit going, and also encouraged us to teach our children to worship.

Dear Mum & Dad, your love, patience, understanding and wisdom will continue to impact our lives and will live within us forever. I thank the Almighty for the gift in you.

Your son Abi.

I call my loving parents Abot & Papa!! They gave me the absolute best gift anybody can ever ask for… the gift of life. I say thank you God Almighty!!

I recall that momentous Saturday morning when I was about to leave home for the first time and board a plane all by myself to US for further studies. I was nervous and anxious because up until then, you did everything, and I mean everything for us to meet the exigencies of life.

Here was I, a little girl about to venture out into the big unknown on my own without the canopy of your presence. It was at that moment of heavy emotional turmoil, fear, doubt and confusion that I was overwhelmed by profound feelings. It was an enormous feeling of gratitude and appreciation to the two people who had given so much of themselves and who had so fashioned my life…my dear Abot & Papa.

Papa, you are a man of few words, of a gentle disposition, a kind hearted being, slow to anger, quick to forgive, generosity of spirit and an inspirational leader. For me, you personify excellence! It shows in everything you do. You are a devoted husband, the best dad, a caring pharmacist, an eloquent speaker, a humble being, a trustworthy treasurer, a dependable community stalwart, a rallying force of unity, a kind hearted person and a God loving man. The list of accolades I could cover you with is inexhaustible.

I thank you for being an example of love and care to mom, your beloved wife for more than 50years. I am grateful to you for the unconditional love you show to us your children, 15 grandchildren, your brothers and sisters and the extended family at large, and friends. I thank you Papa for being an example of a hard working man with solid principles to live by.  In encouraging us to strive for greatness—you also provided us the means to reach for the stars. When you taught us to be respectful and kind towards others; especially the less fortunate, you made us to understand that there’s greatness in humility. When you took  us to the church to become Christians, you put us on the right path to be good upright citizens who are also committed us to the Lord. 

My dear mamma, whom I affectionately call ‘Abot’—which means young mother! You are forever young in my heart. You showered us with so much love, spiritual guidance, and patience. You taught us to forgive. Relaxation is a luxury you never accorded yourself—for you are always busy taking care of the needs of others and keeping the family going. You are a towering pillar of strength, and the captain that has run a steady ship. We have been spared much heartache because you have been there to give us solace—taking care of dad, taking the emotional blows, absorbing the frustrations, while keeping your disappointments, anger and frustrations to yourself. 

Mom, your humility, your devoted and caring nature as a wife to your beloved husband, is an example for Edith and me. You are the best mother and most loving grandma Abbot to your grandchildren. You are one of the strongest people I know. You’re a leader in your own right, the go-to person, and the rock of our family and friends. Mommy, I honor you and thank you. I thank you for making our house a home for everybody to enjoy and feel secure in. I thank you for always rushing to prepare the house and our favorite meals whenever we’re coming home for the holidays. I thank you for being you. You have given more to our family than blood sweat and tears.

Here are some of my fondest memories of growing up:

I cherish those Sunday morning rush to Ntamulung church in Papa’s  Renualt 12 license plate #2020 all nine of us squished in, Papa chauffeuring while mom looks on with the youngest two on her lap. Thank God seat belts were not mandatory back then in Cameroon.

How can I forget the 5 am morning devotional sessions in the cold Harmattan of Bamenda!  It didn’t matter that you had hung out all night the previous evening… you better be present in the parlor at 5am. I will never forget this incidence. Jesus started with prayer and ended with prayer so did Papa and Abot.

I remember I couldn’t wait for my turn to work with dad at the pharmacy. When that time finally came, it was special! Papa and I had breakfast together that mom had prepared, every morning at about 7:30 am . It was special times you know, working next to you dad and managing the cash flow, as well as making important financial decisions at the young age of 17. Papa, you trusted me with money—useful skills that influenced my studies in Accounting.

I remember my brother Dan and I used to compete to run Papa’s errands like running to the store to buy drinks for his guests so that we could keep the ‘change’…Papa never bothered to ask us and most times he’ll just let us keep the change.

Thank you Abbot and Papa, I am the luckiest daughter in the world. And

I love and honor the pair of you with all my heart.

Your dearest daughter,

Maggie Abam-DePass (a.k.a. Avebaba)

My Dear father,

There is a truism that the people who know us best are our parents. From, our flaws to our virtues—our parents know us best and we ignore their wise counsel at our peril. Mum and dad, you are my first blessing from God. You have been the strongest influence in my life because you are the people that know me the longest and best—and for that I am eternally grateful. You have sacrificed every luxury you could have in order to give us the best possible chances in life to succeed—better than you ever had.

Dad, you have been my solid rock, and a great influence in my life. Your presence has always been felt—whether you were near— as in Cameroon or far when I was in America. By watching you, and listening to your advice, I have imbibed your values, virtues, your choices and your personality. Yours has always been the still small voice that guided my every step and gave me the impetus to move forward.

It is because of the kind of dad that you are that I am the daughter that I am. You gave each of us a platform to make something of ourselves, to attain our full potentials and to achieve the best of our abilities for personal empowerment. When I reflect on our family—when I take a look at my beloved brothers and sisters, I realize with pride that we are all products of your treasured influence in our lives.

As I write this, dad you’ve just turned 86. Though in fragile health, your positive outlook on life is heartwarming to see, as you continue to have a profound impact on my life and the lives of many other people. To me, you have been almost faultless as a parent, and whenever I think of you, I have nothing but superlative praise to shower on you. I can only describe you in glowing terms for there are many positive things about you that make you distinct. You are calm, soft-spoken, kind, loving, giving, understanding, encouraging, positive, appreciative, intelligent, and more.

Dad, you are one of the most important and most respected persons in my life, and this is not because as your child, you gave me everything I needed for my growing up, but because as I grew older, I realized that the values you taught me are not only universal values, but these are codes of ethics that I apply in my everyday life to be a better person.

As a young girl, dad, you always encouraged me with positive feedback. I always looked forward to my rewards at the end of each school term, whenever I brought home great results. You told me that I could be anything I wanted to be, as long as I studied hard and did well at school, nothing was impossible. Growing up in the country we grew up in, this advice proved to be my golden rule to avoid the pitfalls attendant the young in our community. Today, I cannot thank you enough for who I am.

Daddy your loving care meant that you made sure we were healthy, not only in spirit but physically. I remember how as kids, you always ensured that we were given worm medicines. Sometimes when we got ill, you actually administered the required injections yourself and rewarded us for the pain we suffered. The reward was usually with the big 50 franc coin for not crying, and if we cried, the reward was a bottle of Top Orange. These are today some of my fondest memories of my growing up years.

Dad, your faith in Christ has taught me how to live an upright life. You showed me important passages in the bible to read during our daily devotion and made sure that as a family we remained strong in our Christian beliefs. Whenever I read the bible, I always remember what you told me; “whenever you read the passages or pray, do so wholeheartedly and believe. It strengthens your faith, and you really see how God answers to your prayers.” I do just that and I have seen God’s many blessings in our family. Today, I have dutifully given the same advice to my own kids, as well as friends and family.

Dad, you are known for your integrity. Your active participation in many groups in the community- Church, Town Council, Credit Union, village development and other cultural associations has distinguished you apart from many. In each of these groups, you always served long terms as the Treasurer. How you managed to combine your community activities and your professional life with raising a family is not a mystery—you have always had mum as your backbone of support. You are always trusted with keeping money because of your unquestionable integrity. I remember that each time when I asked and you gave me money, you will always insist that I count the money in front of you to confirm the amount before taking it away. These are home bred habits are today the same financial advice that big corporations like banks give even to their customers. I thank you for that.  You told me this; it is a good habit to ensure trust between two parties when money matters are concerned. You instilled trust in us. You taught us to be honest, confident and most importantly to be respectful of others and ourselves. I am lucky to have a great mentor from whom I have learned great lessons on integrity.

Daddy you are the pillar that keeps our family strong. Your humility is a mark of your greatness. Your success is the testament to your hard work. Your love for our family is unconditional.

Dad, it is amazing that you are not only father to your children, but to your siblings and extended family too. After the passing of your own father, you successfully took the prideful place as the family head and you have carried out your responsibilities with outstanding success— extending financial support beyond us your seven children, bringing to the fold of your support the extended family. You have always provided comfort and support to everyone. Even though you’ve always been a busy man, you’ve always had time for the family.

Dad, you’re also a very good listener. Whenever we are facing any issues or challenges, you’ve always provided the caring and listening ear to help us figure out the best way to resolve them. Your peace-loving manner means that you’ve always brought family unity and cohesion.  Daddy, you are the Papa, the Pa, the “Go-to” person, the granddad, our role model and our our father.

You are the strongest person I know. You’re always calm and collected in every situation. I remember in every difficult situation, you remain strong for everyone else and the person everybody looks up to for direction. Your counsel and advice helps to calm things even during very sad times.

In addition to owning and running a business, daddy and you are busy  serving the wider community— the Church, the town Council, the cooperative Credit union,  your village Cultural Development Association, PTAs, to name a few. You always attend meetings each day. Being so actively ambulant, one would expect you to get home late and tired—but you never were. No matter how late or tired you got back home, before you went to bed, you always stopped by our rooms to ensure that of us kids were well tucked in bed, and will reposition any child who was lying out of place. I will never forget such kindliness.

When I look at you, I see a person of honor and influence to the society. I am proud to be your daughter, and I am grateful to you for making me what I am today. You remain my hero. I give God all the glory for blessing me with such a great dad as you.

Your loving daughter always, Edith.