Obituary of Elizabeth N. Nche EPSE AKumawah

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On Saturday May 2nd, 2020, Elizabeth Neh Nche EPSE AKumawah moved on to eternity after a brief but fatal illness.  On the afternoon of her death, two of her sons visited her at the Reston Hospital Center. They prayed and informed her of the huge influx of prayers from friends and family for her recovery.  Around 5 PM that same day, a kind-hearted nurse Facetimed the family so they could all pray with her.  Three hours later, with two nurses by her side singing and praying, she passed on to eternity - exactly one month and a day after her granddaughter Zoe Chi went to be with the Lord.

Elizabeth was born and raised in Mankon, Cameroon as the first child to papa Nchotu Nche and mama Cecilia Bih, both of blessed memory.  She was loved very much by her parents and siblings.   She helped her parents raise her siblings and was the unifying figure in the family.  Elizabeth was her Dad’s most trusted and closest confidant.  Her Dad would not sign any document whatsoever without bringing in his “lawyer” Elizabeth even though she was not one.  Elizabeth's Mom (Mama Cecilia) was the rock of the family – the home builder and was very dedicated in building a big and successful family.  Mama Cecilia nurtured her daughter to be very prayerful, selfless, and family oriented.  Elizabeth’s personality reflects Mama Cecilia’s. 

Ms. Elizabeth got happily married to Mr. Stephen Chi Akumawah. Unfortunately, this great union was short-lived; he died a few years later leaving her with their kids to raise.  Pa Stephen made her promise him on his dying bed to raise their kids and to take great care of the family.  She remained a widow for 32 years until her passing – raising her kids, being an awesome mom, dad, brother, sister, and friend to them.   She loved all the kids equally and made sure they had the best education and life.  She prayed for each of the kids daily and ensured they were always united as a family.  

Ma Eli (as she was fondly called by everyone) inherited the entrepreneurial trait from her father.   At an early age, she became interested in running her own business.  She finished primary education while residing with her late uncle, Pa Tabe.  She then spent 3 years in a printing/typing institute  which paved the way for her to open a printing press with help from her father.  She was a trailblazer as she become the first woman in a field of men who operated and owned printing presses in her hometown.  When new technology changed the way printing was done, she turned to cooking, a skill she learned from her mom.  Her love for cooking drove her to open a restaurant.  While she owned the restaurant as a business, her true passion was in cooking and serving people benevolently.  Her kids’ friends and everyone in the neighborhood as well as family knew exactly where to go for free food.  Before you greeted her, she was already offering free food without asking if you were hungry."

Ma Eli’s life was very people focused.  She valued relations more than material things.  She invested all she had in building great relationships with her kids, grandkids, brothers, sisters, cousins, in-laws, friends, kids’ friends, neighbors, employees etc.  She was a very vital piece in her immediate, paternal and maternal families.  She was that one sister, grandma, daughter, friend, cousin, and mom whom everyone will turn to for support.  She was always dedicated to supporting any and everyone.  She will show up at your doorsteps with food and gifts even when she barely knew you.   She gained the title “Mami for all man” given her ability to quickly become that motherly figure – caring, loving and selfless. 

Ma Eli was very God fearing and a devout Catholic.  Her dedication to serving God via Mary the mother of Jesus, lifelong membership to the Cameroon Catholic Women Association and selflessness earned her the name “Mama Maria”.  She would spend hours upon hours each day praying the rosary and never missed an opportunity to attend holy mass.  Her love for God and her faith was reflected in her daily life.  She was quick to acknowledge her shortcomings as a person but strove every day to live a life worthy of her Christian beliefs. 

Ma Eli spent the last 5 years traveling across America, Canada, Europe, and Cameroon.  She cherished every second of her travels because she got to see family and friends. Her love for the places she visited was frequently shown on what she wore – her favorite “I love Berlin” sweatshirt.  She was on a great streak to visit all 50 US states – had already been to 30 States on multiple solo trips as well as road trips with her road trip buddy. She became a huge fan of the Golden State Warriors basketball team while visiting her niece and son in San Francisco. She loved red wine, Apothic was her favorite and enjoyed visits to different wineries in Virginia and North Carolina.  As a food lover, she tried every and any cuisine at least once.  She enjoyed preparing her traditional dish Achu for anyone who dared to give her a heads-up before visiting.   She loved Virginia which was home away from home.  She enjoyed taking care of kids and will almost instantly offer to help an expecting mother - she had several trips planned to help her nieces/nephews with their kids. 

The family has requested memorial donations in Elizabeth's name to the charity of your choice.

Ma Eli leaves behind hundreds of family and friends to mourn her as well as celebrate her life.  While her kids could be defined as orphans, she believed her lifelong work in maintaining and growing her big extensive family and cultivating strong friendship bonds leaves them with lots of moms, dads, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends etc. 

Ma Eli’s family, kids, grandkids, uncles, aunts, cousins, friends, loved her so much but God loves her more.  May the Angels of God take her to His beautiful everlasting kingdom.