My world without Aderonke Olufunmilola Mosuro
My darling Aderonke, the lovely dark beauty my jewel of inestimable value. She was simply unique, a large hearted, loving, generous, and compassionate woman simply put she was a great and very remarkable woman. I wanted to title this piece my life from now on without Ronke, my one and only R.D.D, this affectionate appellation and pet name, I called her, which in full is Ronke Dudu Darling. I however, thought by doing that, I would be pigeonholing this remarkable and fantastic woman as much as she was my wife she was first daughter, then a sister before she became a wife and mother and also grandmother. She was also an auntie affectionately called big mommy by all her nieces and nephews
I had the singular fortune of meeting this remarkable woman some 37 years ago. She was in the company of a close friend Professor, Mrs. Adejoke Mako Née Adefule in, of all places my hometown of Ijebu-Ode.
Her engaging and pleasant personality coupled with a lovely dark complexion made her stand out in the crowd. She was simply put dazzlingly, lovely and extremely beautiful. On engaging her in conversation I found her to be witty, informed, intelligent and brilliant. She was also most cheerful and pleasant. I thought to myself, this is a unique and lovely young lady of singularity. She is more than worth pursuing and getting to know her better.
When we got back to Ibadan I went to see this lovely lady who will become my wife in the quarters she was living in the University of Ibadan, Ibadan in Ebrohimie Street She was sharing the room with her good and noble friend Professor, then Miss Adejoke Adefule now Mako. Our courtship then started in earnest just before her 21st birthday in 1986, and proceeded smoothly for a little over a year, however, due to circumstances, we had a short break before we proceeded again on the journey which led to our marriage on the 16th September 1989 at the Bishop Akinyele Memorial Anglican Church, Iwo Road, Ibadan.
During the courtship I had the beautiful experience of getting to know the family, most especially, her immediate younger sister Ike now Professor Mrs Ike Lagunju thereafter, I met the elder brother, Mr. Now Ogbeni Akinlolu Idowu I also subsequently met Deji, Ayokunnumi, Babajide and Bankole Idowu who are, to all intents and purposes, my brothers.
Her parents, late Pa EA Idowu was most welcoming and took to me immediately despite my coming from down country Ijebuland also, her mother Mama MT Idowu warmed up to me later after initial reservations of Ronke bringing home this Ijebuman.
Ronke in our marriage was truly loving. She took my parents Alhaji GO and Alhaja JA MOSURO as her own, doted on them and took good care of them as they advanced in age.
She was loved by all my siblings who saw in her an extraordinarily capable and loving woman, my siblings my elder sister Mrs Toyin Coker, younger brothers Gbolade, Remi, Gbade Mosuro and my younger sister Mrs Sade Hamsat took to her as she overwhelmed them with her charm and love. She was so much a Mosuro that she virtually became responsible for my orphaned cousin who was under my mother’s care, Mrs Tope Thomas Nee Oladigbolu, she cared for Tope like our own daughter. Ronke always championed the Mosuro cause ensuring we did not lose our homestead in Ijebu-Ode to marauders and hoodlums by paying for the renovation and resuscitation of the house. Ronke is simply put a pearl, a jewel of incomparable value.
After marriage, we lived in Ibadan for a while for a while, where we were blessed to have Adedamola in 1990. However, due to being transferred to Lagos by the Nigeria Customs Service, Ronke true to type a woman who put family first, put her post graduate studies aside to come to Lagos with me, Ronke truly loved me as love is born of every human being. It calls back the halves of our original nature together, it tries to make one out of two and fuses the virtues of human nature. On getting to Lagos, Ronke took up appointment with the Lagos State Teaching Service Commission and was posted to Ikeja High School, Lagos.
Here, she met a mate from the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Mrs Taiwo Ayodeji Nee Kasal
Ronke who always showed kindness to everyone who came her way rendered assistance to students, both academically and financially – Benjamin Owoyele was one of such amongst so many.
She was also a prominent member of the Bola Memorial Anglican Church, Onigbongbo, Ikeja before joining the Redeemed Christian Church of God at ACME Parish, Ogba, after which she became the premier, women’s leader of the Solid Rock Parish of RCCG also in Ogba where she was a foundation member of the parish. Ronke was a mother in a million, there was nothing too much for her to do for the children. We were subsequently blessed with two more children, a girl in 1992, AnjolaOluwa and a boy in 1994 Oluwatomisin. By her nature she was intuitive and her perceptive abilities attuned her to motherhood as much as womanhood. She symbolized womanhood as a bridge between substantiality and spirituality. Womanhood of the stronger and finer pressures emanating from the Lord Almighty our Creator.
As exigencies within the family came into being, we relocated the UK in 1998. Ronke was once again ready to take on this for the family and thereby sacrificed her job, which she had as a pharmaceutical sales representative with Broadline Pharmacy where she was working with Mrs Funmi Oloko Née Idowu and late Bukkie Oyetunde née Dada.
We moved to the UK where she took care of not only our biological children, but all those who came into contact with her. Ronke’s love and generosity knew no bounds, she was love and generosity personified as she operated on the maxim of being kind to everyone. She was not only generous in terms of the physical, she was selfless in giving of advice and counsel. She later became the founding pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God Covenant Church in Walderslade, Medway, Kent, UK.
From this church, four churches were planted in the Kent county, she took parishioners as family and her house – 70 Harptree Drive, became a haven of sorts for family, friends acquaintances, and parishioners. The house served as an extension of the church to all intents and purposes, Bible studies, choir practice were frequently held in her house. She derived pleasure from giving, and I can attest to the altruism that she gave till she was called up.
Even when she was quite ill here in Dubai, she insisted that I go to buy a whole new outfit consisting of a suit, brand new shoes, ties and shirts for a nephew of hers; so that the young man would be fully kitted out for his matriculation.
One of the secrets of Ronke’s happiness is that she derived pleasure from her capacity to give rather than in the accumulation material possessions. She was truly selfless, always giving of herself by running around for everyone who needed her help in any way whatsoever. Ronke was a phenomenal woman, a colossus, who gave wherever she served, in whatever capacity weather, as a mother, as a daughter, as a sister, as an aunt, as a friend, as a counselor, a pastor, an education list, and a wife to my noble self.
She was a beautiful and kind daughter to her parents; late Pa E.A Idowu and Mama M.T Idowu, as a sister to her elder brother and younger sister and younger brothers she glued the family together with her charm and sense of duty to both the nuclear family and the extended family. She was a wonderful auntie to her nieces and nephews, as she was a true friend to all her friends, and proved worthy of the saying that there is no possession more valuable than good and faithful friend.
She was a knowledgeable and empathetic counsellor and Pastor to all her parishioners as parish pastor in Walderslade. She was also a member of the Churches in Medway, which was focused on bringing many to the gospel of Christ in conjunction with other churches in the county.
She was an erudite educationist contributing to the body of knowledge in her field of agricultural biochemistry and human nutrition, where she obtained a doctorate degree from the University of Ibadan in three years, she was truly and sincerely phenomenal.
She touched lives in Walderslade, in Eli Lily where she worked in the UK, and then at Jesus Chancery, RCCG, Bodja, Ibadan, where she was Pastor in charge of youths, also at Lead City University as Head of Department of Human Nutrition, where she always wanted the best for everyone who came across her. Ronke was a fantastic, selfless sacrificial and simply put great mother, there was nothing she did not do for the children, taking them and picking them up from school, taking them for music lessons, driving all over the UK for rugby matches, she was sacrificial.
Ronke was a loving, faithful and pure woman, for the purity of earthly woman lies in her faithfulness. Ronke loved me unreservedly as her husband, unconditionally at all times, according to the book of Isaiah chapter 11 verse five of the holy Bible the righteous shall be the girdle of his/her loins and faithfulness, the girdle of his/her reins. Surely this refers to this lovely woman who brought a shining bright light to this world. This light is not extinguished, it has simply transited into more luminous realms to glory with our creator, the Lord Almighty.
Ronke made our home a sanctuary, becoming a temple for the will of the Lord Almighty, ensuring that the will and volition of the Lord was submitted to at all times.
Her integrity and her radiance preserved Ronke for without a doubt, she waited on the Lord.
Ronke ennobled creation by her acts of love and her everlasting gratitude to the creator. She was without a doubt an amazing person. We will therefore be of good share about the transition of my loving, compassionate, caring, beautiful, wonderful, cheerful, generous, sacrificial, faithful, beautiful, phenomenal, darling, my one and only Aderonke, Olufunmilola, Atoke àyá Ayodeji Mosuro, who I lovingly call Ronke Dudu Darling (RDD) my incomparable darling.
It is your Ayodeji Adigun olowo ori é saying may you transit into more luminous realms joyfully and exultantly, praising the Lord as your spirit awakens to delightful activity in realms of beauty above. Amen.
Ayodeji Mosuro.
