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Irene's obituary

Our Mom, Mrs Irene Eribo was born to John & Elizabeth Ukponmwan on February 7, 1936 in Benin City, Edo State, in Nigeria Her father, 'Pa' J. Ukponmwan was a well travelled veteran of the Nigerian Department of Customs and Excise, from which he retired in the position of Collector of Customs. He was called to the Lord in 1998 at the age of 93. Her mother was a descendant of the Ogbedoyo Obaseki family, Elizabeth Ukponmwan was a renowned trader, and a lifelong member of the Anglican Church, where she brought up all her children . She met Pa J. Ukponmwan while at school, marrying him shortly afterwards. She walked with the Lord at the age of 73 in 1983. Our Mom was born to parents who knew the value of having a very good education, a result of which, their children went on to become stalwarts in many fields, such as doctors, engineers, and more. After the completion of her elementary school education in Benin City, Mom then attended Queen’s College, Lagos, obtaining her WAEC West African School Certificate (WASC) in 1956. Afterwards, Mom worked at a clerical job for the Customs and Excise Department in Lagos for two years, proceeding onwards to London, England in 1958 to study Radiography, in both Diagnostics and Therapy. She was sponsored for a year by her Mother, Elizabeth Ukponmwan and her elder sisters, and was subsequently awarded a Western Nigeria Scholarship for the duration of her studies. Our Mom returned to Nigeria in 1961, and was posted to Adeoyo Hospital in Ibadan, as a radiographer. Afterwards, she was posted to the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta (formerly known as Aro Mental Hospital.) She was eventually posted to the General Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, when Lagos State was created. In 1963, she married our Dad, Dr. Edwin Eribo, a German-trained physician, who was employed by the Lagos State government at Massey Street Children's Hospital, in Lagos. In 1965, Mom went on to the United Kingdom to study for her technical teacher's certificate, while Dad went to Germany to specialize in pediatrics. They both returned to Nigeria in 1967 during the Nigerian Civil War, and Dad got posted to the war front .He helped build a military field hospital in Benin City to treat wounded soldiers there, instead of having them driven hundreds of miles for treatment. Our Mom was a member and treasurer of the Society of Radiographers, and in that capacity, represented them around the world, attending conferences in Europe, South East Asia, and the United States of America . She was also a member, and past president, of the Victoria Island Lion's Club, in Lagos. After she retired from public service as the Chief Radiographer of Lagos State in December, 1995, Mom devoted her time to help run Dad's own Ribway Polyclinic Hospital, one of the few full-service private hospitals in Nigeria. Upon her husband's passage into the Lord's Realm in 2008, she finally fully 'retired', and spent her time traveling between the United States and the UK, where all her happily-married children reside. A devout Christian, Mom endeavored to read the entire Holy Bible from Genesis to The Book of Revelations in its entirety every year. Very active in the Anglican Church, Mom is a member of the Mothers Union, the Women's Guild, the Elders Fellowship, the Anglican womens society and various prayer and Bible fellowships. She was a member and treasurer of the evangelical ministry. Over twenty years ago, she visited the Holy Land, Jerusalem,Israel and earned the title JP (Jerusalem Pilgrim ).With her late husband, she had six children, who, in chronological order, are a doctor of pharmacy, an otolaryngologist, an telecommunications engineer, a dentist, a pediatrician, and a computer scientist. Four of them reside in the US with their families while the other two live with their families in England.

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Memories & condolences

It's been a year since you left us, auntie. I miss your phone calls, your kindness, and words of wisdom. May your soul …
It's been a year since you left us, auntie. I miss your phone calls, your kindness, and words of wi…
It's been a year since you left us, auntie. I miss your phone ca…
Dearest Auntie, On this your 88th birthday, I remember all our conversations over the years. I am glad that you are no …
Dearest Auntie, On this your 88th birthday, I remember all our conversations over the years. I am g…
Dearest Auntie, On this your 88th birthday, I remember all our c…

For many years around 2008 till her passing unto Glory.. Mama Eribo was always attending our Church.... Anglican church…

For many years around 2008 till her passing unto Glory.. Mama Eribo was always attending our Church…

For many years around 2008 till her passing unto Glory.. Mama Er…

Grandma,

I still can’t believe you are gone. Thank you for all the times you spent with us, all the subway sandwiches yo…

Grandma,

I still can’t believe you are gone. Thank you for all the times you spent with us, all the …

Grandma,

I still can’t believe you are gone. Thank you for all th…

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Irene Eribo