EUGOLY FOR MRS EVELYN ONIKEH MBRIWA (NEE PARPER)
Good afternoon, friends, family, and well-wishers; Good afternoon, Church.
You would no doubt appreciate how difficult the task of proffering this EULOGY to my dearest immediate younger sister Evelyn Onikeh is. As Jesus himself stated, in John 16:16, “ a little while , and ye shall see me, and again, a little while and ye shall not see me, because I go to the Father”.This prophesy is today manifested in the transformation of the life of our dear beloved when, on the 17th day of October 2021, Evelyn breathed her final breath; and in a little while, we shall not see her again – even in her mortal remains. This shining candlelight - our dear, mother, grandmother, sister and friend has been extinguished by the cruel wind of immortality.
Evelyn Onikeh Parper (Mrs Songu Mbriwa) was born on 13th August 1946 in the Bo government hospital to our parents – Mr Ansuman Beresford Parper a Prince Wealean and a career Accountant/Civil servant and Mrs Regina Omojowo Beatrice Remilekun Parper (nee Williams) an AWOGAN - a career teacher and an excellent and dutiful mother. Evelyn is the second of the nine children surviving child of our parents – three boys and six girls. Evelyn’s schooling from aged four (4) was turbulent as her infant and elementary education was faced with a few short years of moving from Buxton Girls infant school Freetown, to Methodist School Bo, then to Ebenezar Amalgamated School and to the Central (Post Primary ) school back in Freetown, due to the rigors of the Civil Service policy of transfers of its officials around the country. Our respite was always to revert to our grandmother Julia Agnes Williams (Nee Oldfield) in Bo and later staying with various relatives in different locations in the East and West of Freetown even through our secondary education After passing her Common Entrance Examination, Evelyn was admitted and educated at the Methodist Girls High School Freetown (1961-1965/6. After graduation, she gained the lucrative employment as a Customs Clerk at the then Customs and Exercise Department Cline Town in Freetown.
In her quest to fulfil her medical desire, Evelyn in 1968 gained a scholarship to study medicine in Kiev in the Ukraine, under the control of the then Soviet Union (USSR- RUSSIA). I fully recall the day of departure and standing with a combination of feelings of joy, happiness, and parting sadness: you all can imagine my feelings today for her departing. This today, is not like the parting of two lovers as depicted in “A Dream Within a Dream” in the (1849) poem by Edgar Allan Poe – “Take this kiss upon thou brow! And, in parting from you now, Thus, much let me avow! – You are not wrong, who deem -That my days have been a dream….”! Edgar Poe was emasculating the cyclical nature of life and death, and feelings of loss, grief, and reconciliation. Such reconciliation only comes after immortality as we Christians continue to believe in the resurrection.
In the Ukraine whilst pursuing her medical degree, Evelyn engaged with other friends some from her very own country but in this jungle of students mingling with each other in the cold and strange land, she met someone who was to become her sole mate and later her husband - Dr Tamba Songu Mbriwa! They were soon married in 1972 and as the years flowed, moved back to Sierra Leone and thereafter to the United Kingdom (Middlesbrough). They were blessed with six (6) children: Sahr, Tamba – born in the USSR, Sohkor (in Freetown), and after relocating to the UK, Omo Jowo, Aiah (‘A’Boy) and Evelyn Jr (Eve). The setting was such that with the need to care and nurture their children, Dr Tamba traversed and an NHS Medical doctor for over twenty years whilst Evelyn was content in playing her motherly role and a Housewife, bringing up their children as best she could.
In 1991 Evelyn decided to relocate to Boston Massachusetts USA, where she engaged herself once again in the medical field as a Healthcare Professional employee in several Boston Hospitals diligently performing her duties. However, the family including our late mother Regina, once again moved, this time to warm weather of Tampa in Florida and continued her service to the Medical Healthcare profession she enjoyed until she retired a couple of years ago as if she pre-empted the Covid-19 Pandemic. Being a dedicated and loving family member, Evelyn spent the last years of her life visiting and enjoying companionship of her children and grandchildren, and other member of her family crisscrossing as best she could from USA to UK and within the USA.
I will and I am beginning to miss my sister who from time to time will entice me on the telephone for hours at times, reminiscing past events and issues since our childhood growing up together. Two incidents I will recall here: At Independence in 1961, we sneaked away on a Sunday evening to the FUN FAIR instead of going to Evening Church service. (Our aunty Kosso would not trust the environment for such crowded endeavours). In the hassle and bustle of this event, Evelyn was lost in the large crowd and getting back home to the East (Mountain Cut) was far and I was frighten of the BIG trouble I will face at home. She got home before me that night – I arrived just past Midnight. Aunty locked the door and said “ Go where you come from” in our local krio parlance (“Go ousai yu komot”). I started crying and screaming “Den di kam Katch me Ooh, Den di Kam Katch me”, until our Aunty Kosso’s husband William Davies, got very annoyed and dashed to door, opened it and let me in; of course with a SIX CUT (six lashes of the cane on my buttucks) the next day.
The second incident was when we stowed away in an Express Train to Bo We did not buy tickets as the queue at the Ticket Window was very long as the train was soon to leave. The Guards grabbed us and put us off the train in Songo. We joined the Slow train and hid in the Third Class couch where there were many more people. But the Guards had already been informed that there are two children in the train going to Bo without tickets. By the time the train reached Rotifunk station, the guards caught us and took us to the Guards coach, only to meet a Senior Guard who was our neighbour in Bo - Bra Alimamy Kanu, (BIG RELIEF!). He took care of us, lunch, and all,(after taking the £1:14s: 3p ticket money from both of us and issued Receipt Book Tickets), and took us home on arrival in Bo as the train was late by over two hours that evening. Evelyn always reminded me of these silly things we used to do or encountered, like the man we labelled ‘The Sugar Cane Monkey’- we caught eating our sugar cane, – piles and piles of them until we set a trap, ambushed, and caught him at 3 O’Clock in the morning. Or in the case of a chance taking thief (tiffman), who rushed through the open front door and stole a knob from the radio gram whilst we were having a communal lunch. We chased him and tormented him until we got the “THING” back. Foolishly, we reported this happily to grandpa who then said, “Who left the Front Door unlocked”? We all got SIX CUT (six lashes) and banned from the Next Sunday’s family visit. Discipline was paramount in our enclave. These stories, Evelyn will always bring to my memory and even the serious stuff like the 1967 MARSHALL LAW episode after the controversial General elections. She was very protective of me and at times (let me even say) jealous, because if any of her friends come too close or too pushy around me, then there is a great risk of breaking that friendship. These memories I am sure will last until we meet again.
Evelyn is survived by her Six children, and eight grandchildren. (Ellie; Kai, Emmanuel, Joshua, David, Amarius; Sia and Rebecca.); Eight siblings (Myself, Israel Parper, Mrs Emilia Gabbidon; Mrs Adeline Cleveland; Mrs Juliana Atere; Mrs Regina Oppon; Mr Patrick Rotimi Leo David, Fr. Winston Ekuyami Vincent Davies and Ms Veronica Davies (Baby D). Aunts including Mrs Josephine Siddiqui and Hannah Jones, Uncle Mr Prince J Williams, Many cousins, wider family including the Oldfiels, Williams, Daramy, Doherty, Thompson-Davies, Johnson, Belford; Salle, McCormack, Macfoy, etc. In-Laws including the Mbriwa Family and many others, friends in UK, USA, and Sierra Leone; past Schoolmates of the Methodist Girls high School.
THE LORD GAVE; THE LORD HAS TAKED AWAY. BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD.
MAY THE SOUL OF OUR DEAR SISTER, MOTHER, GRANDMOTHER COUSIN ETC.
REST IN PERFECT PEACE!
YOUR BELOVED BROTHER,
ISRAEL OJEKEH PARPER, Snr.
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