Faith Nnenna Umeizudike-Ibekwe

Faith Nnenna Umeizudike-Ibekwe was blessed with an abundance of leadership qualities. It would be accurate to say that this woman was an outstanding luminary and that her natural abilities served her well. She knew with certainty how she wanted to set priorities in all aspects of her life. She struck those who knew her as the kind of person who awoke in the morning with a clear sense of exactly what she expected from her day and how to set about accomplishing those goals. Faith was a woman who definitely liked order and was most comfortable with an organized and structured lifestyle. When this climate was absent, Faith would set about immediately to create it.

Faith was born on February 24, 1965 at Island Maternity hospital in Lagos , Nigeria. Her parents were Late Chief Dennis Anadumbuni Ezike and Felicia Uluchukwu Ezike. Faith was raised in Lagos, Nigeria. Faith was brought up to be reasonable in her actions and was taught to use her intellect wisely. She was an honest and straightforward child, traits that reinforced her self-confidence. Even at a young age, Faith was credited with having a positive influence on those around her.

The positive atmosphere that Faith generated spread to her family. Faith was raised with Nine Siblings; Bridget Nngonadi, Florence Oyeka, Eunice Ezeoke, Ogochukwu Ezike, Chukwuemeka Ezike, Chukwuma Ezike, Nneka Odum, Nonye Fisher, and Uju Onwuelu. Faith served as a catalyst within the family. She often found herself in the role of providing fair solutions to those sibling disputes. In every family activity, Faith was able to demonstrate her uncommon logic and skill at building compromise.

Faith's enthusiasm for learning and the personal energy that enthusiasm generated led to her exhibiting leadership qualities early on in her childhood. She liked to see things executed properly and showed a skill for taking control of situations that were drifting out of control. At the same time, she was willing to experiment with different approaches as she worked a plan towards a solution. She was a book author, co-founder of Ibo Union of New Mexico , and a member of Nigerian nurses Association, North America. In her spare time she liked cooking, singing, composing music, photography, and Gardening,.

When it came to academics and school, Faith's organizational skills reaped dividends. Faith was able to create a system for getting her class work done in a proper and timely manner. With a strong ability to analyze her schoolwork and assignments, she could apply a practical, common sense approach completing her studies. She showed a natural curiosity in the manner in which she tackled new types of problems and would regularly challenge her own reasoning ability in finding solutions. She enjoyed some courses more than others and developed favorite classes and teachers. Her favorite class in high school was English.

The work habits and approaches to studying that Faith utilized in high school also served her well in college. Faith always seemed on a quest for knowledge. She was able to generalize, summarize and compile information for her classes, employing a matter-of-fact approach. Faith was intuitive and mentally alert, seemed to crave the challenge of solving complex problems. She undertook advanced studies in Theology and Christian Education, holding a Certificate/Diploma from Pentecostal International Bible Seminary (P.I.B.S.) 1992/93. She also holds a Diploma from the School of Chaplaincy at Faith Theological School Otta, Ogun State, Nigeria 1993/94. She earned her Bachelors in theology from GMF theological university, Lagos. She also pursued graduate school, earning her masters degree in theology from GMF theological university, Lagos 1999/2000. Her favorite courses were English, food and nutrition and Christian religious study. Her favorite professor was Reverend Koledoye Joseph. Overall best student at Jesus Foundation class, deputy HOD at Jesus foundation class. She relocated to the United States in 2002, where she started her nursing career and ranked up to become a Registered nurse until her demise.

In a group of friends and acquaintances, Faith was typically the first person to take the initiative to go up and greet someone new. That quality made her very approachable by others throughout her life. This same quality brought Faith the reward of many friends. Maintaining loyalty to those friends was a trait that came naturally to Faith. She believed that she should treat others in a fair manner, in the same way she wanted to be treated. Faith also showed a great deal of appreciation for the accomplishments of her friends. Later in life, she became best friends with Mrs. Amaka Caroline Orizu and 31 years later, their friendship continued to wax strong until her demise.

As Faith knew in other aspects of her life, she had a clear vision of what she sought in a relationship and worked hard to achieve it. She was united in holy matrimony to Mr. Robinson Nnamdi Umeizudike in the year 1985, and the union was blessed with three children. Mr. Robinson Umeizudike preceded her in death on March 27, 2001. After 15yrs as a widow and single-handedly raising her children, She was United in holy matrimony to Pastor Donatus Ibekwe in 2016, a widower at the time, and they lived together. Pastor Donatus Ibekwe had five children from his previous union, and Mrs. Faith had three children; both collectively had eight children. Faith's secret to success was that she always kept the lines of communication open in the marriage and applied the important skill of being a good listener.

Family and children were important to Faith, even if she didn’t always show it. Faith was blessed with Three biological children and five step-children; Echezona Michael Umeizudike, Chidimma Victoria Umeizudike, Chioma Mercy Umeizudike, Ebube Ibekwe, Nnayeri Ibekwe, Oluaka Ibekwe, Chukwuma Ibekwe, and Jachimma Ibekwe. Faith was able to keep order in the family by using the same efficient and straightforward methods with the family as she did at work. Faith rarely made a scene when it came to discipline. Instead, she was subtle and patient in her dealings when teaching the children right from wrong.

At work Faith was viewed as a natural leader. She could marshal all of the available resources, including personnel and materials, in order to meet virtually any objective. She was great at developing strategies and made maximum progress with little wasted effort. Faith was also adept at uncovering new and more efficient ways of getting things done. She was able to establish and meet objectives and schedules through long range planning and was always able to keep the big picture clearly in sight. Although Faith might have been described by some as an overachiever, she was without question a dedicated and diligent employee. Her primary occupation was Nursing. She was employed as a child care instructor and Nurse for 19 years.

Not only did Faith find pleasure in pursuing her various hobbies, she also enjoyed the discovery and research involved in learning about them. Her skill at problem solving had a positive influence on these activities as well. Her favorite pursuits were evening walks, watching the news, gardening, and reading the Bible.

Faith's ability to motivate, direct and organize others made her a valuable asset to the organizations to which she contributed during her lifetime. Faith was one who could be counted on to work hard to implement goals and required little to begin work on a specific task. Once a project was begun, Faith had a definite methodology for seeing it through to completion. Throughout her later years, Faith was a co-founder of the Ibo union of New Mexico, USA.

Faith lived her life guided by a well-defined set of beliefs. Her faith and religion were important aspects of those beliefs. On 10th January 1990, she professed her faith in Jesus Christ and joined the Christian Pentecostal Mission (CPM) church, where she was a dedicated member. After her conversion, she had a burning zeal to win souls to Christ. She attended Jesus Foundation Training School under the leadership of Rev. Dr. John Uzoma Eluchie and Elder Koledoye Joseph, at Christian Pentecostal Mission International . She was a vibrant member of Watchman Charismatic renewal movement for the last 5 years of her life after she relocated to Houston to join her husband, Pastor Donatus Ibekwe. During that time, she was an evangelist, choir minister , and children Sunday school teacher.

Volunteering, especially for church activities, was another way for Faith to apply her exceptional leadership and organizational skills. She liked exploring different places but also enjoyed designing and scheduling the trips in advance. She had real talent for developing the perfect itineraries. Her favorite vacations included Dubai, Nigeria, London, Amsterdam, New Mexico, Atlanta, and Texas.

Faith quietly departed this life after a brief illness on Friday, October 29, 2021, at Baylor St Luke’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA. Her daughter Chidimma Umeizudike and best friend of 31 years, Amaka Orizu, were by her side at the time of death. She is survived by her:

*Mother*:

Felicia Ezike.

*Husband*:

Donatus Ibekwe.

*Children and Step-children*:

Echezona Michael Umeizudike, Chidimma Victoria Umeizudike, Chioma Mercy Umeizudike, Ebube Ibekwe, Nnayeri Ibekwe, Oluaka Ibekwe, Chukwuma Ibekwe, and Jachimma Ibekwe.

*Siblings*:

Bridget Nngonadi, Florence Oyeka, Eunice Ezeoke, Ogochukwu Ezike, Chukwuemeka Ezike, Chukwuma Ezike, Nneka Odum, Nonye Fisher, and Uju Onwuelu.

*Best Friend and Confidant*:

Amaka Caroline Orizu; and a host of devoted nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Services were held at Garden oaks chapel , Bellaire , houston Texas. Faith was laid to rest in her home country in Nigeria.

Faith Nnenna Umeizudike-Ibekwe knew what she wanted from life and never hesitated in going after it. She could be characterized as a driven individual, someone who understood the importance of achievement. Faith was decisive and outspoken at times but was also positive and upbeat about most things. She was a leader, both intentionally and sometimes by default. If she saw that something needed to be done, she was always ready to step up and actualize, organize and implement a plan.