Alberta D. Baidoo

Alberta D. Baidoo, affectionately called "Naa Namuah" by her loved ones, was born on 5th June 1950 in Kumasi, Ghana. Born into a family with a rich heritage, strong Christian values and high expectations she was the third daughter and last-born child in a family of six brothers and three sisters.

Alberta’s father, Robert Dodoo, the renowned mathematician of Mfantsipim School in the late 1930s, was the son of Ataa Kremesu, a diligent and hardworking mason and bricklayer from Otublohum. Her mother, Susuanna Naa Lamiorkor Dodoo (nee Addy), a homemaker, was the daughter of the veteran headmaster John Thomas Addy of the Wesleyan mixed Methodist School of Accra and Mrs. Lucy Addy (nee Vanderpuye), the first Queen Mother of the Asere division of the Ga state. Being a grandchild of Mama

Lucy, Alberta was the proud descendant of the eminent Edina Peter Vanderpuye, Bannerman, and Quartey-Papafio families of Elmina and Accra.

Alberta is survived by her sister, Eunice Naa Densua Dodoo, and leaves to cherish her memory, her husband Emmanuel K. Baidoo, her daughter Trudy S. Midkiff, twenty-two nieces and nephews, and a host of relatives and dear friends.

Education

Coming from a prominent family headed by an educator with Methodist values meant that a Christian education was a natural path. Alberta began her education at the Adabraka Methodist Primary School in the 1950s in central Accra (Ghana’s capital city). She then followed the steps of her older sisters to the then prestigious Mmofratrom Boarding School and progressed to the Tema Secondary School where she completed her high school education. Alberta was known to be an avid athlete in high school during which time she actively participated in track and field events. Alberta left Ghana soon after high school to further her education in the US, where she settled in Los Angeles. In spite of the distance, she maintained strong links back home, always communicating with friends and family.

Career

Alberta started her professional career in Los Angeles, after earning a diploma in Data Processing and Executive Secretaryship in 1972. She held several positions in data processing and administrative support in private companies in Los Angeles, and subsequently at Seattle First National Bank after her marriage and relocation to Seattle in 1980. She later accepted a position with the Boeing Corporation, where she served in data processing and executive administration for over 18 years. Throughout it all, she was a keen photographer with a natural talent for capturing beautiful images.

Family and Church

Anyone who knows Alberta knows how much she cherished family. She loved the family passionately and fought fearlessly on her family's behalf. On each holiday to Ghana to visit the family, Alberta would arrive bearing gifts for everyone, including extended family, friends and neighbours of the family. It was a running family joke that she would shop year round during the sales, to the point of arriving in Ghana with multiple luggage bags! Traveling light was not her mantra, and she was an expert at packing the world into a suitcase. There was always something for everyone: clothes, toys, the odd Christmas tree and decorations, and American delicacies, which were hard to find locally would be in abundance in the family home in Accra. Her generosity was unparalleled, and whatever Alberta happened to have at the time of her visit, she shared.

In November 1979, Alberta married Kofi Baidoo in Los Angeles and they’ve stayed together for 38 plus years through thick and thin until death due us part. Together they have one daughter Trudy Susan Midkiff (nee Baidoo). Alberta, working diligently and together with Kofi, provided Trudy not only with the best education but also with discipline and outstanding principles. Trudy’s character, good naturedness and positive outlook to life are testament to the excellent mother that Alberta was.

She doted on her nephews, nieces and the grandchildren of the family, as it brought her much joy to do so. In her last days, she insisted during each phone call, to hear the voices and see the faces of the grandchildren of the family, many of whom she had spent countless amounts of time nursing and putting to bed when they were but newborns, and still remaining a strong, unshakeable and dominant influence in their lives. They loved her abundantly, and she loved them just as much, and those memories will stay

with us forever.

To say that Alberta was a very loyal person is an understatement. She would stand up for friends and family, and indeed anyone that needed her support. Alberta never shirked her responsibilities and would often be the voice of reason on many issues regarding the family. She believed in fairness and always admonished us never to allow loved ones to be cheated or to be ill-treated by others. Most importantly, she taught us to be fair in our dealings with others, and to have a positive outlook in life. Whenever fairness was at stake, Alberta never shied away from voicing her opinion passionately.

She had a great sense of humour and had a way of lightening up many unpleasant situations. Alberta balanced tact with humour to successfully manage challenging situations. She maintained her humour and good naturedness throughout her fight till her last breadth.

Alberta was passionate about cooking and taking care of people around her. She was a natural nurturer. Whenever there was a family trip, Alberta would take on the task of rising up early in the morning to prepare for the journey. She would prepare enough snacks to feed a small nation, and in the course of

the journey, as if by some stroke of magic, would reveal the goodies she had prepared when anyone mentioned they were hungry or thirsty! That was the kind of person she was, one who always thought ahead, anticipated and came prepared for anything. So prepared that she always kept a spare blanket and bottles of water in her car, “just in case,” she would say.

Alberta’s helpful deeds and friendliness extended to family and complete strangers alike. When people asked for help, she would always be the first to jump up to lend a helping hand. She noticed everything and up unto one of her last days helped a stranger who had lost an object of sentimental value find it in a shop. She had quietly noticed it while browsing the supermarket. She did this without keeping score. It was simply in her nature to help others. In essence, Alberta showed everybody how to extend a hand to all.

Concluding Remarks

Throughout her life, our Alberta showed such strength and resilience and was always positively energetic, so the notion that this day would someday come as it did and when it did seemed unfathomable. She remained strong to the end, even finding the strength to share some of her signature dance moves in her final days. Hence the news of her passing was received with much shock and disbelief. The family remains numb, and a void has been created. The idea that her warmth and contagious laughter have left us (although for a better place) is still raw and a bitter pill to swallow. Alberta fought the good fight for quite a while and selfishly we would have wished that she stay with us forever, but we are consoled by the knowledge that she is resting now at peace, in the bosom of her Creator.

Until we meet again, Naa Namuah, wor ojogbaaɳ.