In an emotional video shared by philanthropist Ndungu Nyoro, the grieving man eulogised his late wife, Maureen Nyadida, with words he admitted were completely unplanned.
Love at First Voice
Dressed in matching patterned attire alongside their four sons, he addressed his wife directly, recounting a love story that began not with a glance, but with a voice.
“I met your voice before I met you,” he told mourners, explaining that he first heard her speak while they were helping organise the wedding of Dr Cesar and Nancy Mungatana.
The voice he heard was, in his words, “strong, purposeful and decisive,” and it stopped him in his tracks.
When they finally met in person, he told her plainly that he believed she would one day be the mother of his children and his life partner.
She laughed and called him pathetic. He laughed too, but his mind was already made up.
The couple went on to build a rich shared life, raising four sons, taking on projects together, celebrating milestones and navigating the kind of ordinary and extraordinary challenges that come with a long marriage.
11 Years of Courage
Eleven years before her death, his wife received a cancer diagnosis that reshaped the course of their lives.
Even so, the man said she never turned inward and continued showing up for her wide circle of friends, checking on others when she herself was unwell, and planning ways to improve the lives of those she loved.
“Even in the darkest moments when the illness and some treatments took a toll on you, you are constantly checking to ensure the people in your circle are doing well,” he said.
She passed away on the afternoon of Monday, September 7.
Took Final Breath
Before she took her last breath, the husband and their sons gathered around her, thanking her for everything she had given them, telling her they loved her, and asking her not to worry anymore.
He said a quiet peace settled across her face after that conversation, and that image, painful as the day was, became the most beautiful memory he would carry of her.
“Even as you breathed your last in my hands, I was comforted that you knew you were deeply and truly loved,” he said, before closing with: “Go well, my dearest friend, my life partner, my beloved.”
Watch the professor’s full eulogy for his late wife:
Kenyans Touched by Eulogy
Kenyans who came across the footage were visibly moved by both the depth of his grief and the tenderness of the tribute.
Patricia Nyoroka Njeru:
“It’s 😢, but it’s well… I love the way the sons are guarding their father.”
Gakuya Terry:
“This is the most beautiful piece that I have ever heard. Love is a beautiful thing ♥️”
Joy Buria Marjawar:
“Gosh, you can tell he deeply loved her. Much grace to this man and his boys. They look like they will be strength to each other.”
Adema Shyllah:
“She was truly loved by Mzee. I’m so sorry for your loss. May your best friend/beloved wife rest in eternal peace.”
