Tribute from Ekow, Bridget, Nathan and Noemi Duker

Patrick, after I heard the news of your passing, I tried to remember when we first became friends but I gave up after a few minutes, because you have always been there. There is no dividing line that marked the time before you came into our lives. And although I knew you for years, you still managed to amaze me with your unexpected acts of generosity and abundance of kindness.

The memories that I would keep of you are that of a friend who comforted me in my times of need.

When my mother Auntie Sophie fell ill and I could not be there, you were there in my stead. You visited her at Ringway and always brought a cheery smile to her lips. In the midst of the pandemic, when I could not be at her funeral, I asked you to attend on my behalf. “You don’t have to go to the burial in Koforidua,” I said. “Your presence at the service in Accra is more than enough.” But sure enough, Patrick and Lynda travelled to Koforidua to see my mother off.

After my wife Thando passed away and I was alone with the children in Johannesburg, you and Lynda made us delicious frozen meals and delivered them personally, all the way from Accra. Who does that? Patrick does.

When Nathan and Noemi, were much younger and spent a summer in Accra with my mother, once again and without any prompting, you and Lynda visited them and took them out. Nathan and Noemi still remember that with great fondness. And years later when I told you that Noemi had started at Oberlin College in Ohio, you announced on the spot that she would stay with Perfect and Asabea during the holidays. There was to be no discussion. Your kindness was overflowing and knew no bounds.

You were so full of joy when Bridget and I got married in 2017. The two of you hit it off from the very first phone call. It was as if you had known each other for years; because Patrick, you were always there.

You were more than a brother, much more than a friend. You and Lynda showed us such depths of kindness and selflessness; we will forever be in your debt. I would always remember your gleeful, choppy laughter and the way your eyes would crinkle with mirth. I will miss the maps you sent me of your walks around the Legon Botanical Gardens. I’ll miss sending you a congratulatory meme in response.

Travel well, Patrick. May the Lord receive you with joy and a great welcome. And may He shelter and comfort Lynda and the children in your absence – just as you comforted me when I experienced the absence of loved ones.

Ekow, Bridget, Nathan and Noemi Duker