Marianne Linhaut(Holland)

Pa John, a remarkable man, is no longer with us.

It has been 40 years since we first met. I was a young white girl working at SAJOCAH, Mambu Bafut. Pa John came to Mambu one day to visit his daughter, Magdalene, who also worked at SAJOCAH. That day marked the beginning of a lifelong friendship. I admired and respected Pa John for many reasons—his way of educating his children and his unwavering support for his wife, Mama Odilia. He didn’t mind what other men in the village of Essimbi would say when he went to the farm with her, sharing the hard labor. He went against the traditional customs of the village without even realizing. I am sure he was an example for many others.

For me, having lost my own father as a young child, Pa John became a kind of father. He would advise me when I encountered problems too big or too complicated for a young girl like me to understand in a culture that wasn’t mine.

Over the many years that followed, during each visit I made to Cameroon, I always went to see him. We grew older together, and despite his increasing physical problems, he remained the same person—sincere, wise, and full of humor. Other friends from Holland who had the opportunity to meet him share in the sorrow of his loss today. Just to mention a few: Marijke, Hanneke, Rony, and the Brinks family. And of course, Pa Fred ten Horn, who spent over 50 years in Cameroon and deeply appreciated Pa John throughout all those years.

As for me, I feel privileged and grateful to have known him. Pa John will always stay in my heart, and he will be remembered by many, many friends.

May his soul rest in peace.

Marianne Linhaut(Holland)