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By Henry Umahi
Late Mrs Chinyere Modesta Okolo was a woman of profound wisdom, strength, courage, and leadership in the mould of Deborah in the Bible. She was exceptional, remarkable, and stood out as a true exemplar of her gender. Her life was rooted in faith, service and responsibility. But, like a candle in the wind, she left so early, at the age of 45 after relentless battle with sickness.
Perhaps Stephanie Lahart was referring to Chinyere when she wrote: “Her heart is exquisite! She’s genuine, loving, kind, compassionate, and generous. An awe-inspiring soul is what she is! She is joy, she is light, she is love.”
Indeed, Chinyere represented the above virtues and even more before she joined the saints. That’s why she will not die because she continues to live in the hearts she left behind.
Before Chinyere, aka Mama Charles, ascended to higher glory, she was spreading love everywhere she went and no one ever went to her without leaving happier. If tears could build a stairway, and memories a lane, many would have walked right up to heaven and bring her home again.
As the first remembrance service of her passing holds, soul-touching tributes continue to pour in. The general theme of the messages is that she was a good woman, a mother in Israel.
Her husband, Boniface Obinna Okolo, an engineer, described her as “truly one of a kind.” He wrote: “Nothing can separate us from the love of God, not even death. I knew we will all answer the final call but I never knew it will be this soon. However, in all things we give thanks to God Almighty. I’m yet to come to terms with what has befallen me and the children you left behind. But I know that the Lord will give us the grace to overcome this unexpected mystery.
“I remain grateful to God for all that we have been able to accomplish through and with each other within this short but eventful journey. Your thumbs-up whenever I told you to always be strong, showed me how brave you could be in fighting back and remaining resolute. Even presently, I still see you nodding that they can only suffer the flesh and not the soul.
“I still see the determination with which you struggled to meet up with all hospital appointments whenever you are to do so. I still see your approval smile each time I left to get your drugs from the pharmacy.
“You fought back every second like a wounded lioness. Even during uncertainties, I still see you saying to me, ‘Daddy, go and come back, I will be waiting.’ You waited indeed for me to be beside you as you passed onto glory.
“The Divine Mercy devotion we had at 3am before you passed onto glory on the 7th day of April, 2025 is every assurance for me to understand that you are resting in the bosom of the Almighty God. You looked me straight in my eyes and said, ‘thank you for conducting the prayer.’”
Okolo also thanked his wife for her motherly care, pleasant surprises, obedience and tolerance, among other virtues.
Her son, Charles Okolo, likened her to Mother Theresa, saying she gave freely without expecting anything in return. He wrote: “It is with a heavy heart that I sit here to write about the loss of a very great woman, my mother. A woman who neither detested nor ridiculed the bad in people but rather saw the beauty of positivity in everyone’s heart.
“A woman who would never let a son weep nor a daughter cry. A woman who would rather cherish the happiness of others even at the cost of her own will. A woman who sought no pride in helping others but always willing to genuinely help everyone.
“Through her days of struggling, she stood strong like a rock embedded unto the earth’s crust withstanding the cold winds of fear, pain and shackles brought along with her sickness. When trials and tribulations came upon us, she was our firm hold, our strength, our love and our guide. Oh what a beautiful soul to walk the face of an evil earth. The pain I feel in my heart would bear ‘unbearable’ an understatement to what I feel for you, Mum.
I really did love you my Mum but as God would have it she passed, not so far away never to be seen again but very close always to be loved and to be remembered.”
A friend of the family, Mazi Fidelis Okpoko, wrote: “Today, I remember a life that touched so many hearts. Though words may never fully capture the depth of the loss, they help celebrate the beauty of life well lived.
“Mommy Charles was a person of kindness, strength and wisdom. She gave love freely, stood firm in difficult times and brought light into the lives of everyone she met through helping hands or words of encouragement. She made this world a better place for those who knew her.
“Her legacy lives, not just memories but in values shared, the lives she influenced and the love she gave.
“I will always remember the warmth of her presence. Though she may no longer be with us physically, her spirit remains in my heart. Mommy Charles, continue to rest in the bosom of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
