January 18th 1930 – April 12th 2020
With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation. Psalm 91 v16
Mummy, oh Mummy, where do we begin? We will begin by giving gratitude to God for your amazing life and for allowing us to have you till you were 90! The truth is you weren’t just our mum, but everyone’s mum, a neighbourhood mum and dearly loved by all who experienced your generous heart of gold. Your warm welcome stretched to extended family, friends, neighbours and even total strangers. You were extraordinary, and it felt as if you were going to be here forever.
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
This is a quote by the famous Maya Angelou and it sums you up perfectly. Mummy’s ability to generate that warm spirit with her radiant smile made everyone who met her feel special and loved. Whether you were a gardener, a driver or a doctor, she gave you her time lovingly.
Our dear mum was born on 18th January 1930 to Godfrey Crentsil and Elizabeth Sam in Dunkwa on Offin, where her father, an ex-serviceman, was stationed after the second world war. She attended St Mary’s Convent School for girls in Cape Coast and on completion of her standard seven education went straight into work in Takoradi where she lived for most of her life. She worked for three prominent companies in Takoradi at the time, AG Leventis, Taylor Woodrow and Elder Dempster Lines as a telephonist. She had the perfect telephone speaking voice, distinct, pleasant and with beautiful enunciation. She was also known for her sense of style and fashion and was captured by the Sunday Mirror newspaper. The caption read…
“Meet Ms Emma Crentsil, with a smashing set of white teeth, people queue up at the bus stop just to catch a glimpse of her”!
She definitely caught the eye of Thomas Edward Ampofo, our dad and her future husband, who worked with the Ministry of Forestry. Once she started a family she gave up work to become a stay- at-home mother, and what a mother… the rest is history!
A great pity if you didn’t get to savour this incredible Fanti woman’s palm soup and the rest of her sumptuous savoury dishes and delicious cakes. She had a flair for turning ordinary ingredients into the extraordinary, earning her the name ‘Onyim Nwia’, meaning she ‘rocked’ the kitchen! With Mummy creating special flavours, and aromas wafting through the house, her kitchen was a delightful and fun place to be. She was the undisputed queen of the kitchen, her kitchen had soul with a flavour all its own.
From Windy Ridge to Chapel Hill, she has always kept a beautiful tropical garden with a gorgeous selection of exotic flowers, where she would often sit and enjoy another of her favourite past times, drinking tea… Everyone who knew Mummy well, knows she loved and enjoyed different varieties of tea from every corner of the world and loved treating you to her latest selection. She had many interests, but her real passion was people, caring for them and making them feel they mattered. Her house was always filled with love, jokes, laughter and more love. Mummy had a great sense of humour and always had us in stiches with her captivating storytelling. We will dine out on her stories for a long time to come. We have treasured childhood memories with happiness all the way, she truly was our best friend.
Mummy’s 90th birthday was a magnificent celebration. It was wonderful for us all to see and share in her joy and the outpouring of love from the many video messages from around the world.
A Legend and an institution, Mummy was our rock, the centre of our lives. She struck a balance between being fun and being firm and you could never pull the wool over her eyes, a great disciplinarian.
You taught us kindness and love, and also the importance of God in our lives, so thank you mummy. Your passing is a massive loss to us and to the community. The pain is excruciating and to say we will miss you is an understatement. You will continue to live on in many hearts. We all got the best out of you and are eternally grateful. Gone, but will never be forgotten. With Emma Ampofo Crescent in Chapel Hill named after you, you still live on. There will never be another Emma Crentsil Ampofo, you were a one-off. Our memories of you are priceless, we love you dearly and will cherish them forever. When we need an angel, we know who to call.
Elegant, beautiful, sweet and charming, Mummy lived a full and wonderful life with pure class. She sparkled like a rare diamond, a true gem. In the last year she graciously prepared us for what was to come with her songs and gentle utterances “I’ve lived my life,” “I’m ready” and she would constantly sing the nursery rhyme “My grandfather’s clock” with a smile… as if to say, when I’m 90, I’m done.
Just like the song, on the 12th of April, 2020, at 9.50 am, her ‘clock stopped, never to go again’.
Ama Sekyiwa, Nana Akyere, Emma Crentsil, Mrs Ampofo, Auntie Emma, ‘Onyim Nwia’, Mother Supremo… Although you’re with the angels now, your guiding light still shines on each of us.
So long Mummy, rest in perfect peace.
Your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren XXX
