Mom had wanted to write her own life’s story before she passed on, but never got around doing it. Really, the true story of our lives can only be told by us.
Her remarkable life began seventy-three years ago in September 1943 in Onicha-Olona in what is now known as Delta State where she was born Onyemalechi Laeticia Okwechime.
Her father was a hard working teacher who later became a headmaster, and her mother was a baker.
The second daughter of her parents and the fifth of eight children, our mother was raised a Roman Catholic and kept the same faith until she passed on.
Our mother and her siblings grew up in a tight knit family unit where they experienced an abundance of love and care and always had each other’s back. One day in primary school, our Mom was bullied by another student, and her brother, Roland, showed up the very next morning to fight her battle. That’s how close they were from the start and kept the bond until old age.
Our Mom was brilliant right from her early days in Saint John’s (now Ugba Primary School) in Onicha Olona and completed her secondary school in flying colours in the then famous Agbor Model School.
It is not clear why she chose to study nursing straight out of secondary school, but then, perhaps, nursing chose her.
She began training as a nurse at the General Hospital in Gbaja, Surulere, Lagos, and later went on to study midwifery. After her training, she worked at the Island maternity before moving back to the General Hospital Gbaja.
She started off as a staff nurse, swiftly got promoted to nursing sister and retired as a Matron in 1996. Thus, she had a brilliant career as a nurse, spanning three decades.
Sometime in 1966, while she was still studying as a nurse, she met a handsome, charming and loving gentleman called Celestine Anene, who, however, wore a horrible suit. (We know this because she told us repeatedly just how horrible that suit was).
Celestine, who worked with the Nigerian Customs Service, would later become her husband in 1967. The beautiful wedding took place at the Church of Saint Paul, Ebute Meta, Lagos.
For 30 years until he passed on in 1997, mom and dad were the quintessential couple. He was the love of her life and our beloved father. Everyone looked up to them as a role model.
They spoke with one voice and never quarelled even once to our hearing. They had a daily routine of eating super together whenever Dad returned from work . Mom had this little earthen ware pot which she used to warm up Dad’s soup. It kept it pipping hot all the way to the dinning table .They loved and respected each other dearly till the day he died.
At the grand celebration of their 25th Wedding Anniversary in 1992, we were the proudest we could ever have been of our parents.
Their love was strong and so was their commitment towards each other, such that right from the onset they accomodated their relatives even before they started having their own children.
Our mom was not only beautiful (we still remember her deep set dimples each time she smiled), she was also a wonderful cook.
Growing up with her own mother who was a baker, she mastered the art of baking and successfully baked several wedding cakes and pastries at weddings of her husband’s relatives.
We grew up eating an English breakfast of sausages and bacon, poached eggs and salads. We can still remember that every Christmas and Easter, we just couldn’t wait to eat her scotch eggs lovingly made and the most scrumptious fruit and sponge cakes ever!
She made the very last scotch eggs this Christmas in our brother’s home in Port Harcourt. Sadly, we will never eat those scotch eggs ever again!
Our mom was a good organiser, and hosting parties came very easily to her. She hosted a party every New Year Day till most recently. She was also very accommodating and showed compassion for the less privileged. Her 60th birthday was celebrated at the Ozanam House for the less privileged.
Having five children certainly did not slow her down. She was able to juggle being a wife, a mom, a career woman and a commited Christian with extreme dexterity. She found time to go back to the University of Lagos College of Medicine to study community health. She was also a distributor of Coca-Cola products for several years and ran her own pharmacy and supermarket after she retired.
Her commitment towards raising us as God fearing children led to our family being consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary as far back as March, 1976.
She belonged to and served in several societies in the Church Parishes in various capacities.
She once served as Chairman Planning Committee of the Archdiocesan Guild Of Catholic Nurses, Archdiocese of Lagos, and was a member/Patroness of the Christian Mothers, Patroness of the Catholic Youth, Patroness of the Red Cross Society, member of the Confraternity of The Infant Jesus Of Prague, member of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Eucharistic Adorers, amongst several others.
For many years, mom financially contributed to the training of Catholic Priests. We marvelled when we recently stumbled upon a letter she had written as far back as 2005 to His Eminence Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie, then Archbishop of Lagos.
The letter read: “Cheque for my third payment for the seminarian: I enclosed herewith a First Bank cheque No 2092010018733 of (N40, 000) Forty Thousand Naira only in fulfillment of my pledge in training a priest. I pray God to help me complete it soon so that I can take up another one”.
Our mom was a well rounded person. She created room for social activities too. She was a past President of Onicha Ugbo Ladies Club of Nigeria from May 16, 2009 to April 7, 2012. During her tenure of office, the Obi’s place fence was built and the 25th year anniversary of the club was organised in grand style. She was also the first President of Onicha Ugbo Development Foundation (Women’s Wing).
The passing on of our beloved father in 1997, and brother Ifeanyi in 2015, tested our mother’s faith the most, but she was never found wanting. Rather, she clung to God, knowing HE had never left nor forsaken her.
She held on to HIM even when she went through her own health challenges and had to spend many months abroad in the care of her loving baby sister, Dr. Bernadette Ewah.
Our mom is the epitome of what every mother ought to be. Her heart was large and accommodated all our friends as we grew up. Our nieces and nephews looked up to her as their mother. She had a special relationship with her eight grandchildren who will sorely miss her presence.
Everywhere we lived, she was loved and respected by all our neighbours, friends and relatives. She had a welcoming personality and her husband’s relatives warmed up to her in return. She was humble, she was beautiful, she was amazing, she was loving, she was gentle, she was selfless, she was the most significant piece of the puzzle in our lives, above all, she was extremely prayerful.
She is none other than Onyemalechi Laeticia Anene, our beloved, our angel, our rock, our pillar, our strength, our sense of direction, our support, our joy, our peace, our truth, our friend and our MOM.
By her children.