Seni was born in Bansang in the Gambia on September 25, 1955 and came to high school at Rabun-Gap school in Georgia and upon completion attended King College in Tennessee where she earned a BS degree in biology. Her dream of becoming a pharmacist nearly died because of financial constraints, but was rescued at the last moment by Alex Haley of “Roots” fame. She went on to obtain a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree from Xavier University in New Orleans, LA, and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Mercer University in Georgia. She then came back to New Orleans, LA and worked at The VA hospital, United Medical Center and at D & H Pharmacy.
Seni met the love of her life, Dr. Michael Yao Ashigbi, while he was in graduate school at LSU Medical Center in New Orleans and they were married on January 4, 1988. The two subsequently moved to New York City, where she worked as a clinical pharmacist at Union Hospital in the Bronx, and continued to enhance her career by earning a Pharmacy Fellowship at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Medical Center. Seni and her family then moved to Cleveland, Ohio in September, 1994, where she worked for the Cleveland VA Medical Center and several drug stores, including CVS and Revco, before moving to Tyler in 1999. For the past 15 years she worked at various institutions including two separate tours at the University of Texas Medical Center, Mother Frances Hospital in Jacksonville where she was pharmacy director, Majors Pharmacy and, most recently, at Mother Frances Hospital in Tyler.
Seni is survived and adored by her husband; her two children, Michael Kobla (Mariama) and Ablorde Kojo; three grandchildren, Ablorde Kofi, Nusianu and Fatima; and many brothers, sisters, cousins, uncles, aunts and friends.
Seni will be buried on Friday, March 21, 2014 at about 2:30 p.m. in East Texas Islamic Society Cemetery, according to her Muslim faith procedures. There will be a memorial service in her honor at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 22, 2014 at Lloyd James Funeral Home, 1011 East First Street, Tyler, 75701.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent in the name of SENI SISE to the United Heritage Credit Union. These donations will ultimately fund the planned Seni Sise Memorial Education Fund to support other girls from the Gambia who wish to pursue careers in pharmacy.
COMPARTA UN OBITUARIO
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