Mary was born April 25, 1925, in Warri, Nigeria to Chief Mukoro Mowoe and his first wife, Nanovbe. The oldest daughter and third of fifteen children, she grew up in a polygamous family which was also the wealthiest and most prominent household in Warri. Her father, Chief Mowoe, was a successful businessman and pillar of the Urhobo community, active in local politics and respected by Nigerians and Britons alike. A self-taught as well as self-made man, he believed fervently in the importance of a sound education and as a young girl Mary was sent to St. Joseph’s Convent boarding school in Asaba. She found the nuns intimidating, but later believed they helped foster her sense of self-reliance. Nanovbe’s death, when Mary was only ten years old, affected her deeply and bound her close to her father, her elder brother Moses and younger sister Victoria.
Mary attended Methodist Girls High School, Lagos- proving herself a gifted athlete- before deciding on a career. At the time the only viable options for a Nigerian woman of her education were nursing and teaching. Mary chose nursing. Her father arranged for her to study in the United Kingdom and she became the first Urhobo woman to be sent abroad to further her education. Mary left Nigeria in 1948 to take up a training position in Sunderland General Hospital, England. There she met Akinwande Lakeru, a medical student working through the summer. The couple remained in contact after Akinwande returned to the University of St Andrews, Scotland and visited each other whenever they could. Mary and Akinwande courted for three years and married April 4, 1953. For the next fifty-eight years they would rarely be apart.
1953 also marked the birth of Mary and Akinwande’s first child, their daughter Omoyele. They went on to have Folasade, Akinfemi and Titilola.
Mary qualified as a nurse and midwife, returning to Lagos with her husband and daughter Yele in December 1954. She moved to London briefly with her family between 1960 and 1964, while Akinwande completed a postgraduate degree in gynaecology and obstetrics. In the late 1960s Mary resumed work, this time as sister in charge of the clinic at Nigerian Breweries Ltd. Over the next decade and a half she held daily responsibility for the health of hundreds of workers. Her considerable diligence and skill were recognized when she became the first nurse to rise to managerial level. Mary’s achievements paved the way for other women to aspire to managerial positions, with all the concomitant privileges and respect. Mary was also an early member of the Nigerian Association of Industrial Nurses.
Like her father, Mary took an active interest in her community. She was Chairlady of the Salem Church Ladies Guild, as well as an Honorary Officer of the Lads and Lasses Brigade and an Officer of the Youth Christian Fellowship. She was also fond of her garden, music, books and films and happiest in the midst of her family.
Gracious, generous and eminently kind, Mary worked tirelessly on behalf of others and was fiercely protective of her family. She was beloved by all who knew her.
Mary Lakeru passed away peacefully on August 4, 2011, with her family by her side in Newcastle, Washington, USA. She was eighty-six years old. She will be lovingly remembered by her husband and devoted companion of fifty-eight years, Akinwande and by their children, Omoyele, Folasade (and her husband Paul), Akinfemi (and his wife Helen) and Titilola. Mary will also be fondly remembered by her grandchildren Akinwale, Nkem, Ikechukwu, Edirin and Ajibola, and by her great-grandson Akintola.
We have received many inquiries by friends and extended family about donations or memorial gifts.
Mary Lakeru’s children are grateful for the kind generosity and consideration of our friends and family members and ask that donations in her memory be made to the Many Lights Foundation, Newcastle, WA
The link to their website is here : www.manylights.org