Grace Hinga

Born on May 19, 1946 at Pumwani Hospital, she was the second child and first born daughter to the late Watson and Jane Wangari Waiyaki of Muthiga. When she was little, she became very ill with a combination of whooping cough and measles. Afraid that she would not survive, she was baptized Grace by Rev. Musa Gitau. She went on to Queensway Secretarial College after graduating from Precious Blood Secondary School in Riruta and worked at Barclays Bank from 1971 until 1981. While working at the bank, she traveled often to the UK and Barbados where she made lifelong friendships. In the early 90s, she started a successful business exporting produce and flowers to France and running group tours to Israel, United Kingdom, Greece, Kenya and Tanzania.

After joining her children in the US, she trained to become a nurse, a career that she felt was a calling and in which she worked until her cancer returned in 2019. She had every intention of beating her cancer a second time so that she could go back to a job that she loved and performed with pride and joy. Her love of life took her on adventures from running a marathon, learning how to drive semi trucks, modeling, several road trips from Atlanta to Casper Wyoming, Los Angeles, and the Grand Canyon, all after she turned 60 years old. The sicker she became the more she repeated the refrain, “Life ain’t always beautiful, but life IS beautiful.”

Grace was a sister to the late Ezra Githaguī, William Njoroge, Gad Mwaura, David Kuria, Peter Kinyanjui, and Rose Nduta. She is survived by her siblings Miriam Wambaa, Wambui Njoroge, Jedidah Gaciku, and Ben Githieya, her daughters Carolyn Koine and Angela Flynn, her son-in-love Matthew Flynn, her grandchildren Nicole Bahsoon, Louisa Wanjiku, and Noah Waiyaki, and numerous in-laws, nieces, and nephews in Kenya, the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.

A Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, June 20th from 1-2 pm at Sandy Springs Chapel, 136 Mount Vernon Hwy, Sandy Springs, GA 30328.

Following the service, Grace will be laid to rest at Arlington Memorial Park, 201 Mount Vernon Hwy, Sandy Springs, GA 30328.

We will return to Sandy Springs Chapel for a reception following the burial.

A celebration of Grace's life will be held on Saturday, July 13 from 4-7 pm at the Gordon School, 45 Maxfield Ave in East Providence, RI 02914.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Cūcū Grace can be made to the Gordon School Annual Fund.