A visitation for Hailu will be held Friday, September 10, 2021 from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM in Room E at Oak Hill Funeral Home & Memorial Park, 300 Curtner Ave, San Jose, CA 95125. For those attending virtually, please use this link https://evt.live/remembering-hailu-girmay-tedla.
A funeral service will occur Saturday, September 11, 2021 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at St. Mary Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, 497 E St James St, San Jose, CA 95112. For those attending virtually, please use one of the following links:
https://evt.live/remembering-hailu-girmay-tedla-funeral-service
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85108448877?pwd=OVkvUmZCdWFleEJRL0tnV25mVDdRUT09
A committal service will occur Saturday, September 11, 2021 from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM, 300 Curtner Ave, San Jose, CA 95125. For those attending virtually, please use this link https://evt.live/remembering-hailu-girmay-tedla-funeral-service
A reception will be held Saturday, September 11, 2021 from 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM at St. Mary Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, 497 E St James St, San Jose, CA 95112
Life Story
Hailu Girmay Tedla, a loving son, brother, husband, father, uncle and community leader was born on April 11, 1940 in Adigrat to Girmay Tedla and Zewditu WeldeMariam. The earliest years of his life were spent in Adigrat where he attended Agazi School, completing the 8th grade before making the journey to Addis Ababa to look for work to support his family. Baba Hailu, as he was affectionately known later in his life, held several jobs from being a gas station attendant, to a taxi driver and a grocer at Bambis, where he was known for his ambition, wit and kindness as he spent the early years of his adulthood learning about business management. Baba Hailu worked with three partners to open Stadium Grocery and soon after, channeled his entrepreneurial vision to open Hailu Grocery, which was a gourmet market that provided a wide range of grocery products and was the first of its kind in Addis Ababa. As he managed and grew this successful venture, he continued on to invest in a farm in Shashamane and open Adwa Hotel and Bar in Kazanchis. His natural intelligence and determination were undeniable and with every successful venture, he continued to put his family first.
After ensuring that his sisters and brothers were settled and having fulfilled his responsibilities of caring for his parents, he was keen to start a family of his own. Baba Hailu met Lula Haddis in 1973 at a wedding where he was a groomsman and she was a bridesmaid. They were immediately drawn to one another and established a loving relationship. They wed on September 22, 1974 at Selassie Church in Addis Ababa. Although their wedding was a happy occasion, the newlyweds met with the biggest challenge of their youthful wedded lives when a politically tumultuous period in Ethiopia forced Baba Hailu to escape Addis Ababa in 1975, leaving his wife and businesses. He travelled hidden inside a commercial heavy duty truck and survived the perilous two week journey to Nairobi, Kenya. To cope with the separation from Lula, Baba Hailu immersed himself in the challenge of preparing a new life for his wife amongst unfamiliar people and a new language. After months apart, despite well known danger, Lula followed the same perilous route in 1976 in order to be reunited.
Once reunited, they began the work of establishing a community, rebuilding their livelihoods, and starting a family. Baba Hailu and Lula were blessed with two sons, Temesgen and Kiflom Hailu. After holding multiple jobs, he used the many skills he had honed as an entrepreneur in Ethiopia and Kenya to build a business with his close friend, Tsegaye Abebe. In 1985, they created Hailat Knitting Enterprises, manufacturing textiles and using the business to employ and mentor hundreds of people over 36 years.
As a devoted Orthodox Christian, Baba Hailu authentically expressed his faith and committed much of his time to growing the church community, and was instrumental in founding the Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Nairobi in 1986. It was his strong faith and close family and friends that provided him the strength to be a pillar of support for Lula through her three battles with cancer over the course of 26 years until she passed away on March 4th, 2011. Baba Hailu deeply grieved losing Lula and further devoted himself to his faith and serving as an elder in the community.
Baba Hailu was a man who led with his values and lived them wholeheartedly. He cherished his family, friends and community, eternally generous with his time, affection and wisdom. Baba Hailu will forever be known for the love with which he blanketed all those near and far. He thrived when he was in the company of others and he invested deeply in growing and maintaining relationships. He is survived by his sons, siblings, nephews and nieces, and beloved family and friends.
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