Kehinde Akinyede's Album: Wall Photos

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TAIWO OLUWATOMISIN AND KEHINDE AKINYEDE.
This tribute is written in memory of our late foster mother Emeritus Prof. Lalage Bown (OBE). Having lived with her from the age of 5 years in 1962. Aunty Lala, as we usually called her, was a mother personified. We came to her when we were quite young. She brought us up took care of our education and everything a parent or mother should do towards her children. We went everywhere with her, except during the Nigerian civil war in 1967 when all foreigners left and we could not go with her as the government disallowed at that time.
She came back in 1971 and we continued from where we stopped and never got separated again until her death on 17 December 2021.
We cannot find words to describe our aunty/mother as she was everything in the world to us, a mother and a mentor. She gave us the opportunity of a sound education and the best upbringing in life. What many of our peers did not experience, we had it from our aunty/mother. Is it hard work, humility, steadfastness and faith, we had it all. She taught us to believe in and stand up for ourselves and never to be looked down upon or look down upon anyone. Everybody was important as her humanness and love for people of diverse background and culture can never be forgotten She taught us to accommodate differences in human and also to accept all types of food presented to us.
Growing up as children, she read to us every night at bed time and also taught us how to swim, thereby giving us the opportunity to compete at both the school and national levels. We were always given books as birthday presents which gave us the opportunity to love reading. As young adults, we were taught to be prudent in the management of our finances and this made us to grow fast into adulthood and learn to be responsible and face life challenges. We were also taken through the experiences of travelling across the length and breadth of Nigeria and the West Africa sub region and some parts of Europe in order to expand our horizon and knowledge of the world. On each of our journeys, we were compelled to write descriptive essays of our experiences, thus teaching us how to be observants and to take note of details of any environment we found ourselves, as well as take interest in them and appreciate any difference we might have encountered. She came all the way to Nigeria to attend our individual graduation ceremony in 1980, as well as our 50th birthday anniversary in 2006.
As full grown-up adults she never imposed herself upon us but made suggestions to think about our actions and reactions to situations. She continued to give us motherly counsels and advise until the end of her life,
Whenever there was opportunity over the years, we both always visited her along with our family members. Our last visit to her was in August 2019 not knowing it was going to be the last of its type. We planned to pay her a visit in 2022 to celebrate a joint birthday party together according to her wish. We do not have sufficient words to describe her in this short tribute, other than continuing from where she stopped. We love her so dearly, but God Almighty loved her best and decided to take her away. We hope to meet at the resurrection morning. Adieu Aunty/mother Lalage.
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