Workers of the New Times Corporation (NTC) on Saturday bade farewell to one of the longest-serving staff of the corporation, the late MrsAgnes OfosuAntwi, whose body was laid to rest at PapaaseCemeteryin the Greater Accra Region.
Auntie Aggie, as fondly called, drew her last breath on February 9, 2022, after a period of illness. She served the NTC for 41 years in various capacities and departments and was due to retire in June this year.
It was a sombre scene at the Papaase School Park where family, friends, colleagues and church members gathered to pay their last respect to the deceased, amidst weeping and sober reflections.
For NTC staff and management, it was a tear-jerking goodbye because they had imagined the usual send-off parties for a retiring staff —not a funeral — to part ways with the deceased.
The NTC tribute read by the Marketing Manager, Mr Alfred Koomson, described the deceased as a diligent, loyal, calm and peaceful staff with multifaceted capabilities, professional conduct and a sense of humour that birthed the jargons; ‘Kokotako,’ ‘Diwohene,’ ‘Happy yourself, who go happy you?’
“Nothing can take away our appreciation for the invaluable contribution she made for the good of the corporation…the sorrow and pain (of her death) have left us emotionally disoriented and created a scar in our hearts which will be difficult to eradicate,” the tribute said.
The scar is deeper in the heart of the widower, Mr William OfosuAntwi, also a staff of NTC, whose tribute recounted that their love was brewed at the corporation and sealed on March 24, 2001.
Apart from hoping to retire together this year, he said, they were looking forward to celebrating 21 years of marriage next week, and though their life together had been cut short, the happiness they shared would last a lifetime.
“Aggie was a woman who feared and loved the Lord with all her might and strength… All my life I have never met anyone who is selfless like you,” he said about his “gisting partner.”
Her children shared fond memories of how gentle, caring and God-fearing she was and her zeal towards knowledge acquisition, saying “Your values and principles would continue through us.”
In a sermon, the General Treasurer of Assemblies of God, Ghana and Head Pastor, Liberty Centre Assemblies of God Church- Abeka, Rev. Sam AtoBentil, testified of the late MrsAntwi’s dedication to the work of God, noting that her demise had brought pain to man, but was a gain to the Kingdom of God.
BY JONATHAN DONKOR
