Abate Fantaye

Abate, was born on October 16th 1932, Bulga, Ethiopia. He was the son and first born to Fantaye Wolde and Workinesh Haile. After losing his father during the Italian Occupation (World War II) at the age of seven, Abate and his siblings were raised by their widowed mother who worked tirelessly to support and care for her family. At the age of 16, Abate became his family’s primary breadwinner. After completing high school at General Wingate Polytechnic in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, he traveled to England to study at Ipswich Social Studies and Business Administration College. He then traveled to Zurich, Switzerland, to enroll in a training program with Swiss Reinsurance company and pursue an education in Insurance Management.

Upon his return to Ethiopia, he entered the workforce and quickly embarked on a successful career path in insurance brokerage and management. He went on be the Founder and Managing Director of Blue Nile Insurance. He was an insurance industry pioneer and lead a number of insurance, reinsurance, and brokerage firms in several African countries. His career spanned over five decades working in various African markets including Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and predominantly in Ethiopia. He visited countless countries worldwide and loved to travel for both business and pleasure. He also lived in numerous countries, in addition to Canada and the USA. One of his most memorable trips was visiting the Republic of China at the invitation of the insurance industry to African Insurance Executives. His visit to China was remarkable because it was in 1986, the period that foreigners were not allowed to visit China. He enjoyed climbing the Great Wall of China.

In addition to being a hard worker with incredible business acumen, Abate was a dedicated family man. He and his siblings remained bonded throughout their lifetime. He dedicated his life to the care of his late mother. He was a loving father to his daughters, a remarkable caregiver to his younger brother and sister, and an immense force to all who ever met him.

In Ethiopian culture, often times, names have special meanings. In geez, his native tongue and the national language of Ethiopia, Abate, means “conqueror”, the one who refuses to lose and Fantaye, translates to “my portion” which can be interpreted as him offering a piece of himself to each person in his life. No better name could have described his character. He was the patriarch to our family and a leader to so many.

To his family, Abate is known as Abbaba and Abaye, which translates to father or daddy and Gashiye, a term of endearment for an elder relative often even given to an older brother.

Abate was an avid reader, loved golf, enjoyed watching tennis and British football, keeping up with world events, and was a card shark. He cherished spending time with his family and enjoyed his weekly gin and tonics.

Survived by his daughters Elsabet Abate, Etalemahu Abate and Aida Abate; granddaughters Sarah Abate, Yodit Michele, Zaide Michele and Hannah Harris. Great granddaughters Amyrah Skerritt and Freedom Taheri. Brother Seifu Fantaye and late sister Elfenesh Fantaye. Sister in law Mulu Gebramedhen, son in law Warren Prince; nieces Eleni Seifu, Sosina Seifu and Yodit Seifu.

He peacefully transitioned and was surrounded in love by his family.

Funeral service for Abate will be held Thursday, September 30, 2021 at 10:00 AM at St. Mary Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Cathedral, 1152 South Stone Mountain Lithonia Road, Lithonia, GA 30058. Following the funeral service will be a committal service at 1:00 PM at Georgia Memorial Park Cemetery, 2000 Cobb Pkwy SE, Marietta, Georgia 30060.