Obituary of Samuel Kwaku Nyarku

NYARKU: Dr. Samuel Kwaku Nyarku passed away on August 13, 2018, at the Brandon Regional Health Centre in the presence of his daughters. He was born in Ghana, West Africa, in the village of Ampunyase to David Nyarku and Amelia Nyarku (née Saackey). As a bright, studious young boy, scholarships enabled him to pursue his studies in Ghana, then at Cambridge University in England where he earned his Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry, and at the Institut de Chimie in Switzerland where he did his post-doctoral studies. Switzerland is also where he married Roseria Quaidoo in 1980, soon after which they immigrated to Canada for Samuel to begin his career as a university professor. Over the years, he taught and did research at a number of universities, including Memorial University in Newfoundland, Dalhousie and St. Francis Xavier Universities in Nova Scotia, the University of Swaziland and the University of Namibia. But it was in Brandon, Manitoba that he settled with his family when he began teaching at Brandon University in 1984. Brandon remained his home base through his final teaching years with the University College of the North as he travelled to Indigenous reserves and other rural communities across Manitoba to share his love of science. Strong in his faith, Samuel was a devout member of the Catholic Church and was a living example of the virtues of kindness, generosity and patience. These are qualities he shared with family, community, and thousands of students over the years. With these qualities he saw the potential in his students, and was dedicated in his efforts to see them succeed. He is survived by his two daughters, Maria and Emelia, his ex-spouse Roseria to whom he remained close, and a large family abroad, mostly in Kumasi, Ghana, including his siblings, Joe, Alex, Ben, Helena and Mercy. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Augustine of Canterbury Church, 327 – 4th Street, Brandon, MB, on Friday, August 24, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. with Fr. Christopher Dubois as celebrant. Interment will follow at Brandon Cemetery. Donations in memory of Samuel may be made to the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul at St. Augustine of Canterbury Church, 327 – 4th Street, Brandon, MB, R7A 3H1.