Odilia Fongho

Odilia ; I am very saddened by your passing, admired your fortitude in your last struggles & know how much you must have wanted to live to see your kids grow up within the life you had made for them.

Alice and I talked a lot about you, especially of course over recent times and we both prayed that you might recover but it was not to be.

I will always remember our conversation on skype  video call when Alice visited you in Atlanta just after your surgery and you showing such  great determination and full of hope and especially seeing the kids looking so happy playing and bonding wonderfully with their aunty Alice.

I will cherish and store those memories in my mind and heart for ever and will be eternally grateful and learn to cherish every single moment in life knowing,  ‘’How fast time passes it make us realise how short the time we have left’’ .

Rest in the peace and know that you did your very best for your family and in particular your children and be assured that they will be well looked after.

Aunty Maggie

Sister to say I  miss you is an understatement. I wish you could hear me say to you one more time I love you. How can I even begin to tell you how much you were so much fun to be around? Your beautiful smile and random acts of kindness are going to be so missed. It did not matter how long we had not talked, whenever I resurfaced you were alwalys so delighted to hear from me and I could feel it listening to you. I enjoyed you growing up especially when you used to make those of us who grew up in the village look so bad, as you gave us a run for our money with your ability to speak metta so well, considering you were the one who was always referred to as the" Francophone". You were always good at every thing. You were always down to earth and respectful to everyone. Our late Dora and I always looked up to you for our latest fashion" Francophone trend". You shared with your outfits and we were always looking forward to your coming to the village during the long holidays and at Christmas breaks. Our frist French lessons were graciously taught to us by you. I can never come close to mentioning all the fun things Late Dora I shared with you. I was so blessed to continue enjoying your kindness when you had newly come here back in our days in Tallahasse. You gave me so much love and our family. Your love for children also drove you so close to us as you used to just come and pick up our baby Fon and spend the entire day with him only bringing him back at bed time after you kept him, feed him and bathed him ready for bed time. When you left Tallahassee to Atlanta you never stopped contact. I remember our chats and laughs on the phone when you moved. O sister Ode you are so loved and missed as well. Give our love to Papa and Mami and do not forget to tell my childhood sister Tifuh," Fri says life has never been thesame ever since she decided it was time for her to go ahead". Keep them good company and we will meet someday. Love you much.

Dear daughter, your sudden passing away is so difficult and very painful for me. Why so soon?  I know only God can answer that question but i am comforted by the fact that you lived within the realm of God’s Will for your life. You are gone to a place where there is no pain, sickness, hatred, jealousy etc. You will find Peace, and rest with our Lord Jesus Christ.

Auntie Odile; my aunt,my hero, my mentor and the lovely mother of David, Daniel and I until that blesseth Saturday morning when the crooked hands of death decided to slash you away from us. The past few weeks haven't been easy for me not because of what you said or what you did but for how you made me feel from the very first day i came into America until now which is still hard to believe that you are no more.
I can still remember when you come to give me a lift from the Atlanta airport on Oct the 21st and some of the few words that you said to me like "finally Daniel has an elder brother"...while at the back of my mind i was thinking -luckily i met another mum. You thought me how to take care of my younger brother (by changing diapers and making baby's food) and those are values that i really never wanted to be the one to say thank you but the wife that i might oneday get married to; eventhough it is too late now.
I wish i could forget but how can i when most of the advice you loaded on me are the fundamental principles on which my successes and those of many others associated with me have been based upon. Words like " In America is not making the money that matters but how to spend it that makes the difference" have always echoed in my mind as i struggle each day to make ends meet and survive in such a different world. Auntie, if there were few examples of hardworking employees that i envy like a role model, you were one of them... and I know from the depth of my heart that Coca-Cola company misses you for you were one of their most reliable employee.
 Days after days, weeks after weeks and i am still waiting for a call from someone to say it was all a joke but i haven't gotten one yet. Even when you were sick and Noela and I did visited you, you were still the center of our joy, the moment of our laughter, the direction to our curiosity, the source of our unity as one big happy family and the hope of a brighter and better tomorrow.Can someone tell me how in this world can such memories be easily forgotten.
I wish my heart could allow my brain to say more at this point but i am so grieved in my spirit of the sudden death of my intelligent, brave, hardworking, God fearing, young and pretty generous aunt; Auntie Odile.
Well, what can i say when words are not enough to express how i feel. Aunti Odile we love you but we know God Loves you more. Until We meet again,we will never forget the way you make us feel. Adieu.

I miss you so much auntie.
I thank  God for wonderful aunt like you. You were always very  sweet, caring and supportive. More importantly you were very relatable though we were from different generations. Yes you were the Aunt my cousins and I could talk about just anything. Thank you for sharing your home with me when i came to visit Atlanta. I was inspired by your strength,courage and bravery in fighting cancer.
Amongst the many memories i have of you, the one that keeps playing over and over in my mind was of my last trip to Atlanta. I learned so much from you. I had a wondeful time going to the farmers market with you. I was so inspired by your strength and determination to beat cancer as you picked out fresh food in the market. Later on that day, we spent time with your kids dancing Azonto and showing off our moves. What i learned most from you on that trip was, no matter what adversities we face, we should still enjoy life to the fullest.
While I am sad that you are not here, i am comforted that you are not alone where you are. Give my love to my dearest mom, grandma and grand dad. I will stay in touch...

I Love you Miss Bih,
Miss Bih

Odilia

It hurts when someone you know passes on. Some how, I got to talk with you when my friend, my sister, Dora passed on. Every thought of her still hurts so badly. You sounded so vibrant I could hardly believe that a few years later you will be next. Your passing on has been another Dora moment to me and a reminder of how very fragile life is; how sad!! Your phone number just like Dora’s remains one of the contacts in my phone. When I heard you were very sick, I almost killed myself for not making just one more call to you.

Odilia, my only consolation is that Dora now has your company. I remember how very close you two were and I can imagine how very thrilled she must be to have you around. Please give her my love and let her know I still miss her very much. Greetings to you Mom and Dad as well.

Flo Amandong

Auntie, you were a very happy person and your joy was infectious! You talked non-stop...it must have been very frustrating that you couldn't talk at the end. One  other thing you were very good at was spoiling us. Big time! Shortly after daddy died, you came to Bertoua to visit us. I'm sure I was super excited about seeing you but I'll be frank here; all I remember now was you popping that the trunk (back-boot) open, filled with toys of all sorts! blocks, books, teddy bears, dolls! yes DOLLS! Those toys kept us busy for years aunty. Its sad the its your death that brought back these memories and never got the chance to say thank you again(sigh).