Austine Chukwuebuka Ogukwe RIP
15-yr-old Nigerian
student dies in Ghana
…Authorities say
he drowned, bereaved dad suspects foul-play
By MAURICE ARCHIBONG
A
15-year-old Nigerian, Master Austine Chukwuebuka Ogukwe, has died in Ghana. Master
Ogukwe was an SS3 student at Ideal College, Community 5 in the Ghanaian port
city of Tema. Curiously, the deceased was enrolled at that institution only 12
days earlier.
 |
| Ideal College's signboard in Tema Community 12. |
The
late teenager was one of roughly 500 Nigerians among the 8,000 total student
population of Ideal College, according to Mr. Joseph Essibu, Proprietor of this
school, which has at least a branch in each of Ghana’s 10 federating units,
called Regions.
The
mortal remains of the deceased, who died on 15 October, 2013 are currently at
The Police Morgue in the Ghanaian capital, Accra. From an autopsy carried out
on 17 October, the authorities say the deceased died from drowning, but Mr.
Obioma C. Ogukwe, father of the late lad, suspects foul-play.
Master
Ogukwe was one of dozens of students taken out on a jogging expedition on that
fateful day. Along the way, the 47 students, who were under the care of a
solitary housemaster; detoured to a beach. At the end of their wash, it was
discovered that Austine was missing. Hours later, his body was found, allegedly
following a tip by some unnamed fisherman.
Although
the police have launched an investigation into the tragedy, no arrest had been
recorded eight days after the lad’s transition. During a brief meeting inside
the Nigerian High Commission, Accra on Wednesday, 23 October, 2013; a consular
officer confirmed that no arrest had, thus far, been made.
He
revealed that about an hour before our arrival there, an official of the Nigerian
Mission had contacted the director, Marine, Ports and Railways Unit of Ghana
Police Service, Tema; in connection with this issue.
Faith shattered
It
takes genuine faith in a nation for a dad to ship out all of his three children
to study in some foreign land. Therefore, it must have been deep-rooted faith
in Ghana that prompted Nigerian-born Mr. Ogukwe to enrol his three children in
schools in Ghana.
Sadly,
the alleged mystery surrounding the death of Austine, Mr. Ogukwe’s first son, has
not merely shaken his faith in the former Gold Coast. With Ogukwe taking along
his other two kids with him as he returned to Nigeria on Sunday, 20 October; it
could be said that his belief in Ghana has been irredeemably shattered.
Swimming on
Tuesday is taboo, here
Tema
is part of Ghana’s Greater Accra Region and Ga is the name of the aborigines of
these parts. Mr. Laud Nunoo is an ethnic Ga, and he told us during an encounter
inside his office in the Tesano neighbourhood of Accra that it is taboo to
venture into the sea on Tuesdays. This is the reason local fishermen do not
work on Tuesdays.
Continuing,
Mr. Nunoo, who works as an investigator with Corporate Protection Securities
(CPS) added that, whereas entering the sea is not banned outright in Ga
culture, anyone that ventured into a large body of water on that day, did so at
their own risk.
Mr.
Samuel Annan, a senior citizen of Ghana, who is half Ga; corroborated the
information that the sea is a no-go area every Tuesday in these parts. In the
same vein, Mr. Theo Alfred, a Ghanaian that lived in Lagos, Nigeria for several
decades until he returned to resettle in Accra in 2004; confirmed that Tuesday
is a special week-day here.
“It
is true. We do not go fishing or swimming on Tuesdays”, said Mr. Alfred; who is
also ethnic Ga and publisher of National Trust. Sadly, it was on a
Tuesday that Ideal College’s Housemaster took 47 students to the Tema seashore.
How some
schoolmates remembered Austine
Although
Master Austine Ogukwe did not register for Fine Arts in the forthcoming WASCE,
the deceased was gifted with drawing and painting skills, according to some
classmates. The deceased was also described as “very friendly and lively” by
many of his schoolmates.
Excerpts from the
autopsy report
According
to a police report’s history of the tragedy, “On 15 October, 2013, at about
7.50pm; one Doreen Essibu of Ideal College, Community 5, Tema; called at the
station and reported that Austin Ogukwe went to keep fit with other students
and their teachers. That after keep-fit, they went to the beach to swim and the
deceased got drowned”.
That
history is part of a report sequel to a post-mortem conducted by Dr. Alina
Rodriguez Grinan, a pathologist at Ghana Police Hospital, Accra. The
pathologist in her report identified “Drowning” as the “Basic cause” of death.
The police report dated 17th October, 2013; further identified “Asphyxia
by submersion” as the “Direct cause” of Austine Ogukwe’s death.
The
post-mortem also listed three marks of (possible) violence: “Contusion
on the face, Contusion on the head and Contusion all over the body” of
the deceased. Interestingly, the post-mortem with reference number
PH/PM-1220-13, which gave the age of the deceased as 17 years; further states:
“The body was that of an adult male”. However, the late teenager was 15 years
old.
The
morbid anatomist’s examination of the Thoracic cavity revealed: “The lungs were
increased in consistency and volume. On cutting, sections showed serohematic
fluid within the parenchymal tissue and part of the airways”. Furthermore, the
“Heart is congestive and normal” and “The rest of all the organs were
congestive”, according to Dr. Grinan.
But,
Mr. Ogukwe is not impressed. In his view, many incongruities abound hinting at foul-play.
He observed that, from pictures of Austin’s body that were taken at the beach,
his boy couldn’t have died from drowning. The late boy’s stomach was flat, he
pointed out. The grieving dad further wondered how the deceased came about what
the pathologist’s report described as “Contusion on the face, Contusion on the head
and Contusion all over the body”.
Moreover,
the post-mortem, he added, failed to explain signs that blood flowed out of the
boy’s ear. The report, he further pointed out, was also silent on blood stains
on the face of the boy’s body. “The pictures the police showed me revealed that
my son was foaming in the mouth as he died”, the grieving man lamented.
As
if to add salt to an injury, the House Master that took Master Ogukwe and 46
other students out jogging on that fateful day was nowhere to be seen almost 48
hours after the late boy’s father arrived in Ghana. As the late boy’s dad put
it: “The house-master was the person that led them (47 students) out on road
jogging. Along the way, he diverted them to visit Tema Seashore. He asked those
who wanted to swim to do so. I gathered that my son told him that he does not
swim and does not like sea environment; that, he would rather have a phone game
to play. He asked my son to wait-by and went away. He reportedly returned to be
looking for my son”.
Ogukwe
said he further learnt that about 7pm, some fisherman reportedly told some
people he saw a body somewhere on the seashore. Curiously, however, the remains
of the deceased were found about 2km from where they landed at the seashore. Many
questions, few answers…
This
probably prompted Mr. Ogukwe to take the matter to Nigerian High Commission
Accra. In his complaint, dated 17 October, 2013; and, titled “Report
on the asserted drowning of my son – Master Austine Chukwuebuka Ogukwe – at Tema
Seashore”, the bereaved dad begged of the High Commissioner: “Please
Sir, we want this to be fully investigated as the police and school authorities
appear to be shielding the House Master and suppressing evidence”.
When
contacted through a phone call, Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, Ambassador
Ademola Oluseyi Onafowokan, said he had been given a report by his mission’s
staff that were assigned to look into the matter.
Nigerians
based in Ghana, while lamenting Austine’s passage; commended the Amb Onafowokan-led
Nigerian Mission for rising to the occasion. However, the perceived haste that
attended the autopsy ruled out the opportunity of possible imputs from the
local Nigerian Mission’s authorities.
Investigations
ongoing
On
their part, Ghana Police have launched an investigation. Plans by police to
visit the school came to light during a meeting in the residence of guardian of
the late boy on Saturday, 19 October; when the late lad’s dad said: “The police
have arranged to visit the school tomorrow (Sunday, 20 October) to talk with
some of the students” that were on that outing.
We
gathered from an encounter with some staffers of Ideal College, including Head
Mistress, Ms Doreen Essibu; Mr. Chartey Isaac, Chaplain-cum-Counsellor; and,
Pastor Doe; as well the school’s attorney; that personnel of Ghana Police
Service eventually visited the school on Sunday, 20 October; where they engaged
students that took part in the ill-fated exercise, which took place on a
Tuesday.
We
got to the premises of Ideal College, Tema; a few hours after the police
investigators departed and also met the above-named workers as well as scores
of students, including Priscilla Owusu (19), Bisman Owusu (19), Clinton Atubi
(17), Bernice Okine (15) and Raphael Ugochukwu; that same day.
Curiously,
none of the almost 50 students remembered the last time they saw Austine after
their arrival at the beach. Interestingly, whereas some students had reportedly
earlier said that the housemaster diverted them to the beach, one or two sought
to stress that going for swimming was their idea. “We had been jogging for a
while and were sticky from sweat, so we suggested going to the beach for a wash
in the sea” is how they sought to put it.
Some
observers expressed suspicion that the students may have been coached regarding
what to say, and were now trying to revise the story. Interestingly, Ms Essibu
had initially put up strong resistance when we expressed desire to meet the
students. Her explanation was that the students were frightened when called out
to meet with the police and that calling them out again for another drill so
soon would only compound their trauma.
This
made sense, except that the late boy’s siblings and parents as well as his
larger family and friends seemed to have been denied Ms Essibu’s empathy. There
was also the need to unravel the mystery shrouding the boy’s death in order to
avoid similar occurrence in the future. In deed, this was agreed during a
meeting at the residence of Austine’s guardian; the previous night. If there
was neglect, then remedies ought to be made. But, there was nothing anyone
could do at this point to bring the deceased back to life; we had rued at
several fora.
In
the end, the school authorities gave way following robust intervention from Mr.
Adewoye, a consular official at Nigerian High Commission Accra, who came down
to gather information regarding what actually transpired culminating in
Austine’s passage.
On
his part, regarding possible clues, Ogukwe added: “I have been around town
shooting pictures of the beach, school premises and hostel, where my son
stayed”. He expressed sadness that a female school administrator (later
identified as Ms Essibu) had the audacity to confront him while he was on the
photography.
Ogukwe
wondered why the woman was angry at him for recording possible clues to
resolving the mystery surrounding his child’s death. Consider this: “If I could
take pictures during the autopsy process, despite the distressing sights, then
what was the big-deal in shooting pictures of the premises of the school, whose
authorities’ negligence led to the death of my son”?
Ogukwe
went on to list some disconnect between the tale of the housemaster that took
the students to the beach and what he had personally gathered. Hear the
distraught father: “The housemaster went away after bringing the children to
the beach. He was not on hand to supervise them, while they bathed in the sea.
He later came back for roll-call and my boy was missing. This was on Tuesday, 15
October.
“He
(the HM) did not contact the guardian (the day the body was found). Pictures of
the body shows that foam was coming out of his mouth. The body was later taken
to the morgue. Again, the guardian was not informed”, Ogukwe further pointed
out.
How dad learnt of Austine’s death
“I
was at work in my office in Lagos, when about 12.30pm on Wednesday, 16 October;
I had a call from Ghana police telling me they were sorry my son was gone. I
had to rush to Ghana and eventually made my way to Tema. I finally got to the
morgue around 6pm and discovered that the school authorities were not there.
“I
was now the one waiting for them, whereas they should have been the ones
waiting for me. When they arrived, I finally saw the body. The wounds were
frightening. I’m not convinced the death was caused by drowning. There were
three major wounds that left me wondering, if such injuries could possibly have
been sustained after contact with the seabed.
“Strangely,
for someone that supposedly drowned, his stomach was flat and there were also
blood stains on his face. Then I was told an autopsy was going to be conducted
right-away. And, I wondered why the haste. This almighty autopsy, was it going
to bring back by son? I did not really know what autopsy involves and had never
witnessed one before. I thought an autopsy would reveal finger-prints, and so
on; but, as the autopsy progressed, I wished I had not permitted it. The body
was cut up and the tummy was empty. There was no water in the stomach”, the
distraught father narrated.
The
bereaved dad also expressed surprise that the housemaster that took the
students on an outing deliberately avoided meeting him. Ogukwe again: “The
housemaster did not show up until Friday (18 October), three days after the
incident. Inside the office of a police officer in whose precint the tragedy
occurred; the housemaster had said that he took the children out for jogging”.
Ogukwe
said he could not understand how a roadwork ended up in a swimming exercise
that allegedly claimed his boy’s life. Another mystery in Ogukwe’s view, is
that the body was found some 2km from where the kids swam. In any case, how
come the boy that drowned turned out to be the only one that refused to go into
the water. Ogukwe said the housemaster could not confirm that his now deceased
boy ever went into the sea, in the first place.
Ogukwe
added that his findings revealed Austine and the 46 other kids were to have
gone on the jogging exercise with two school masters. However, one of the duo
opted out on grounds of health challenges. “The housemaster told the police
that the other man had complained of stomach problems and did not show up for
the outing”, Ogukwe said.
That
was how the 47 children ended up with one supervisor for a roadwork that turned
tragic following diversion to the sea. In Ogukwe’s view, the drowning theory
sounded even more incredible, given the the housemaster’s declaration that he
did not see anything that could have helped in unravelling the death of a lad
that was under his care.
As
regards the housemaster’s elusive disposition, when it came to meeting with the
grieving father, Ideal College Proprietor, Mr. Essibu; reasoned: “The reason
the housemaster did not show up is because you were very upset. The boy was
your first son and the man was probably scared, not knowing what could possibly
happen, if he met you”.
Proprietor
promises school’s input to Austine’s funeral
On
the issue of bringing Austine’s body home, Mr. Ogukwe said it behoved Ideal
College authorities to bring their late student’s body to Nigeria. Since his
family had enrolled a hale and hearty chap as student of Ideal College, it was
the school’s responsibility to freight the late boy’s body to Nigeria; now that
he had died while in their care.
However,
Essibu said that might be difficult as none of Ideal College’s staffers ever
visited Nigeria before. Moreover, he also voiced fears regarding the personal
safety of any school staffer that might accompany the corpse to Nigeria, given
the dad’s suspicion that there was more to Austine’s death than meets the eye.
Responding
to this aspect, Mr. Ogukwe apparently sought to reassure Essibu; when he
declared: “Since your hands are clean, you have nothing to fear. Painful as the
death of a youngster could be, as you bring the body to Nigeria; I can assure
you that your safety is guaranteed”.
Eventually,
at the Saturday, 19 October meeting in the residence of guardian of the late
boy, Mr. Essibu had promised that, the school will participate in Austine’s
funeral. Hear him: “We will come to pay our last respects. So, students and
teachers will attend the funeral. If there’s anything you want us to
contribute, please let us know”.
At
this point, Mr. Ogukwe said he needed first, to report to late Austine’s
immediate and larger family members. As things stood, everyone was in shock and
were anxiously awaiting explanations from him. Therefore, it was after he had
briefed them that he could then transmit information on funeral arrangements to
the school. Ogukwe went on to add that, even before bringing the body to
Nigeria certain arrangements needed to have been concluded.
He
told Essibu and others that the death of any youngster was a monumental tragedy
in Igbo culture, therefore; he wanted a situation where arrangements would have
been firmed regarding interment because he believes the family would prefer to
bury the remains same day as it arrived in Nigeria, instead putting it in a
morgue further prolonging the deceased’s survivors’ torment.
Eze Igbo in Ghana condoles with family, commends
Nigeria High Commission
When
contacted, Eze ndi Igbo in Ghana, Eze Chukwudi Jude Ihenetu, said:
“First of all, let me use this opportunity to express my condolences to the
late boy’s parents and siblings. I want to say that my heart goes to them
because as a parent, I can imagine their grief. May God grant them the
fortitude to bear this loss”.
As
to his own action on the matter, this is what he had to say: “I was in Nigeria,
when the tragedy occurred. But, before my return from Nigeria, I learnt that
the Nigerian High Commission was already on the issue. I want to seize this
opportunity to commend the Nigerian High Commission in Ghana because they are
doing very, very well”, Ohazurume 1 remarked.
Epitaph
Austine
Chukwuebuka Ogukwe: Our beloved, lost in mysterious circumstances, May God
bless your soul with peace-eternal …
Agony of a
bereaved dad
The
time was about 7.30pm on Saturday, 19 October, 2013; and, we were at the
veranda of a bungalow in the Community 12 neighbourhood of Tema. The proprietor
of Ideal College and the school’s headmistress, Dr. Joseph Essibu and Ms Doreen
Essibu respectively, among others; had brought the belongings of the late
Master Austine Ogukwe to the residence of the deceased student’s guardian.
The
items, which included a huge cube crate, consisted of at least six boxes and
bags. Meditatively, the late lad’s dad, Mr. Obioma Ogukwe, bent down and
unzipped the side-bag of a large sturdy portmanteau among the lot. The side-bag
he had opened contained at least two boxer-shorts and a top.
The
father then lifted the top of the cube-shaped wooden box, and it revealed a
collection of footwears piled atop other items we couldn’t see. And, we
wondered if some of these were among clothings he wore on October 15, when
tragedy struck.
Reflexively,
a sigh escaped the mouth of the distraught father. And, he muttered; “Mmaun
ana … (a spirit is gone)”. We were almost moved to tears. As Mr. Ogukwe
stood over the late boy’s belongings with a distant gaze in his eyes, it
probably took everything he could muster to avoid breaking down.
The
man’s predicament once again brought to the fore, stark shortcomings on
societies’ parts. In some climes of this same world, Ogukwe would have had
immediate attention from a psychotherapist, following report of his son’s
death. In Ghana, he should have undergone similar therapy as his suspicion
mounted that the late boy did not die from drowning.
But
then, we are citizens of member-nations of ECOWAS (Economic Community of West
African States). So, as he grapples with coming to terms with Austine’s
denouement, Mr. Ogukwe is virtually on his own as regards succour through
psychotherapy.
Thankfully,
however, Mr. Ogukwe is not alone: God is with him and shall grant Austine’s
family and friends the fortitude to weather this loss.
Unravelling
Ideal College, where late Austine Ogukwe studied
If
the signboard at the junction leading to the premises of Ideal College in
Community 5, Tema is anything to go by, then the average parent ought to be
wary of enrolling children here. Not only is the signboard in tatters, some
sick destitute is immediate neighbour of Ideal College’s signpost.
Aside
from the fact that a possibly psychically/psychologically-challenged person
lives in the immediate environment of Ideal College’s signboard, the
surroundings of the school’s environment leaves much to be desired. There is an
uncompleted structure, apart from piles of sand and block-making facilities. In
other words, we are at a construction site.
On
the other hand, students groomed by Ideal College for public examinations
usually pass in flying colours. This must explain why this group of schools has
blossomed from one high school to 12 branches within 12 years. It is also
possible that the school’s marketing hype has also lured many parents/guardians
to enrol children here, despite this institution’s unalluring premises.
Yes,
countless parents and their children may have been attracted to Ideal College
because this institution’s advertisements on radio and TV must rank among the
most effective. Interestingly, our findings later revealed many people were
taken-aback, shocked by what was on ground after personal visits to the
school’s complex.
During
our encounter with scores of SS3 students of this school, we gathered that the
fee per session here is 3,600 Ghcedis (roughly $1,600). However, when we met
with Mr. Joseph Essibu, Proprietor/Director of Ideal College, the man said the
school fee is 600cedis or 1,000cedis per session for each day or boarding
student respectively.
When
told that his students had actually quoted 3,600cedis as what their parents pay
per session, Essibu explained the extras accrued from the cost of books,
boarding charges et cetera. In any case, at a total fee of the equivalent of
almost N300,000; you’d expect state-of-the-art facilities at Ideal College.
However, we met a far from satisfactory situation on ground.
At
Ideal College Tema, we saw an antique wooden blackboard, whereas digital
monitors and computers serve such purposes in some high schools, where similarly
exorbitant fees are charged. Moreover, the class in which we sat held
poorly-finished wooden bench-like seats for roughly 100 students.
And,
with no fence or perimetre wall, the school seemed loose. Based on what we saw,
it came as no surprise, when the query; “What was going on here”, rankled in
our mind. We later learnt that parents and guardians were falling over
themselves to send children here because of the near-zero failure rate in any
exams that Ideal College students sat.
When
taken up on the apparently insecure environment of his school, Essibu admitted
this was due to the fact that the institution was at a temporary site. “The
land is not our own, therefore, we are constrained. In fact, our fence is
ordinary wire because we could not put up a block or concrete fence”, he
explained.
Ideal
College evolved from a WASCE remedial tuition centre, which Essibu floated in
2002. Before then, Essibu was a private home-tutor. “We started by teaching
from house to house”, he disclosed. With 12 secondary schools established
within a decade across Ghana; Mr. Essibu sits atop possibly the fastest-growing
school chain in West Africa.
A
1996 graduate, who took his first degree in Agric Sciences from University of
Ghana, Legon; Essibu told us he also holds a second degree in chemistry.
However, he would later reveal that; at some point: “I taught Scripture Union
at Cape Coast, every long vacation”.
Essibu
said he went into education full-time in 2002 setting up second-chance centres
to assist students meet basic matriculation requirements. After a while, he
started grooming students for TOEFL, GMAT et cetera, apart from WASCE. And,
before long, in 2005 to be precise; Essibu added regular secondary school
programmes to the kitty. Following uncommon success rate among students trained
at Ideal College, the school’s popularity shot sky-high.
Interestingly,
during one of our encounters with Mr. Essibu, it practically dropped out of his
mouth that he has not been at Ideal School Tema this year. This happened, when
we asked the man, if he knew anything about the death of Austine Ogukwe. “O, I
have not even been at Ideal College Tema since the beginning of this year”, he
replied.
We
were shocked and shot back: “You mean you have not shown up at a school, where
you are director for almost a year? Essibu attempted a make-good, when he said;
“O, I have not been there for some months”. So, where had he been directing his
school from?
Essibu
revealed he once took his family and went to live in South Africa. “But, after
setting up the kind of schools that I have, I just couldn’t abandon them. That
is why I returned to Ghana. I have been travelling. I had to be in South Africa
and some other countries. To tell you the truth, I am handing over the running
of the high school to other people”, he remarked.
When
asked why, Essibu had this to say: “We have secured approval/license for our
university and before the end of this year, we are starting our university”.
Evidently, Essibu is about to open a university as well. Nigerians, he posited
need a university from him, he intoned. To that, we couldn’t help asking
Essibu, if he was one of those praying that Nigeria’s socio-political lingered ad
infinitum (eternally)? “No, I’m not. But, your country’s population is
so high and your students need universities to educate them”, he retorted.
But,
the man seemed at sixes and sevens, when we asked Essibu, if he knew what
Nigeria’s population was: “O, O … I’m not sure”, he muttered. “Nigeria’s
population is around 150 million”, offered Apostle Chartey Isaac, School
Chaplain that accompanied Essibu to our meeting. Did Essibu hear what Chartey
said? The man’s response was, “Yes”.
At
150 million, Nigeria’s population was only slightly more than 10 per cent of
that of China. We now put another question to Essibu: “How many Chinese
nationals are currently enrolled at Ideal College and was he planning to open a
university for these Asians, too”? We ended our chat with Essibu on this score.
However,
we left somewhat depressed: With undergrads across Nigeria on forced vacation
for four months because of strike by academic staff over government’s failure
to fulfill its part of an agreement reached since during the Yar’Adua
Presidency, Mr. Essibu and others are likely to find more students washing their
way.
From the past
Mysterious death
of another Nigerian student
Interestingly,
the case of Austine Ogukwe is not the first one regarding the death of a
Nigerian under mysterious circumstances, while studying in Ghana. Many
respondents easily recalled that similar fate had befallen Stanley Chinenye
Okafor.
Until
his transition, under alleged mysterious circumstances on 7 February, 2008; Mr.
Okafor, who hailed from Agbogugu, Awgu LGA of Enugu State, was a final-year
student of geology (now in the Department of Earth Sciences), University of
Ghana, Legon.
 |
| The late Stanley Chinenye Okafor. |
During
a chat with mauricearchibongtravels in Accra, Nigerian-born author, Mr.
Kelechukwu Ike aka KK, recalled that Stanley Okafor died somewhere at Tarkwa,
while on a field expedition. According to KK, who was also rounding up his
first degree programme at University of Ghana at the time; 21-year-old Stanley
Okafor was said to have fallen from some heights and consequently died from
serious wounds sustained after hitting the ground.
Okafor’s
lifeless body was later found on the floor of the hostel picked by the school
authorities for the field-students’ lodging. He was pronounced dead on arrival
at a hospital and his remains were subsequently transferred from a hospital in
Tarkwa to Legon Hospital.
Speaking
further, KK added: “The corpse was later moved to Police Hospital at
Cantonments in Accra for autopsy. After post-mortem, Okafor’s body was flown
back to Nigeria for interment, which took place two weeks after he was
confirmed dead”.
KK
easily remembered this tragedy because he was one of those that accompanied the
late Okafor’s corpse to Nigeria from Ghana. And, as time passed, the matter
simply died. But, memory of the tragedy probably lingers on the minds of the
deceased’s survivors.
