Richard and I recently attended the funeral mass of our friend's mom who passed away in a road accident last 16 May 2008. Tony's mom have turned 60 years old this 6th of June. Another statistic in Kenya's grim reputation for vehicular accidents.
I wore black because it is the thing to do at most funerals. Richard wore a black tie and a white shirt with his suit. And because it was a chilly day, I had put on a dark maroon scarf. It turned out I was dressed perfectly for a Kenyan funeral. Most of the people had a touch of maroon, red, or orange. It seems to be a mourning color here in Kenya.
The mass was held at the Consolata Shrine, a Catholic church where Tony's mom went to mass everyday at 10:30am. The service was very touching and emotional, the church was jam-packed as it can only be for someone who was a good person and much loved by family, friends, and community. Very few people were dry-eyed during the service.
Even if I'd only met her twice, her larger-than-life and warm personality deeply impressed me. Too bad we knew her for only a short time..... Farewell, Susan Cheptonui Ng'eny...
