Francisca

Amponsah

Biography of the Late Francisca Ewurama Amponsah

Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."                   ---Revelations 14:13

The late Francisca Ewurama Amponsah (maiden name Francisca Osei) was born in Accra, Ghana on April 19th, 1970 to the Late Opanin Anthony Yaw Boateng Osei and Mrs. Elizabeth Osei. She completed her basic education at New Nation Preparatory School and at Aggrey Memorial International School. She pursued her high school education at Asuom Secondary School (ASEC) and completed in 1988. She subsequently enrolled at the Accra Polytechnic where she studied accounting and graduated with Higher National Diploma (HND) in Business Administration. She then worked for the Accountant General at the National Service Secretariat in Accra. She got married to Eld. Robert Amponsah on May 11th, 1997 and were blessed with three wonderful children: Grace Amponsah, Jesse Amponsah, and Erin Amponsah. Francisca immigrated to the United States in June 2000 with the husband and their first child, Grace. She joined the Hackensack University Medical Center in 2002 where she worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant until her untimely death on April 8th, 2020.

Francisca was an undoubtedly devoted wife and mother who truly expressed the characteristics of the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31. She labored and worked vigorously for her family and barely utilized her bed for sleep. She loved, honored, and served her husband as is expected of a Christian woman. Francisca was involved in every single activity of her children. She would attend every single PTO meeting, knew all their teachers, went for all their games and other activities, and would participate in fundraising activities.  As a result of her zeal to her children school activities, she ended up serving as co-president for about three years at Benjamin Franklyn Middle School, Teaneck and until her demise at Teaneck High for the 2019/20 academic year. Francisca was an exceptionally stern mother when it came to discipline, and raised her children the way they should go: the way as instructed in scripture.

Francisca was a devoted Christian who was diligent in her commitment to activities of the church. She was born into the Catholic Church and later transitioned to the Charismatic - Christian Action Faith Ministry (Action) in Ghana where she served as an usher for more than ten years. When she moved to the United States, she initially joined the Church of God and later the Church of Pentecost where she worshipped until her untimely demise. Francisca was a deaconess in the Church of Pentecost, and served in many leadership capacities. Her involvement in the Children's ministry comes as no surprise as she had an exceptional love for kids. She became a local Children's ministry leader in the Teaneck assembly till her untimely death. She also served as the district leader of the Paterson District Children's Ministry for four years. Francisca was indeed a mother to all these children and was very committed to their spiritual growth. She would pick up as many of these children as she could to church every Sunday and would drop them off after church service as well. She was trustworthy in this regard, and parents who did not even attend church would entrust their wards to her. She almost never missed any children's program, and was wholeheartedly involved in all of them.

The one thing that stands out of Francisca's many qualities is her selflessness. She was a helper who devoted her life and resource to helping other people, most times to her own detriment. Unsurprisingly, this won her the accolade "One woman ten thousand" and "Madam Theresa". Regardless of the time, place, or situation, call Francisca and you can trust she will be there. It did not matter if she had to rest before or after work, or where she was. Not only would she be there, but she would wholeheartedly and joyfully serve your needs as though she were doing it for herself. Francisca was such a wonderful cook it was almost impossible to find a person who would not enjoy her delicacies. Not only did she enjoy cooking, but she sacrificed her life for others through cooking. Observing her cook food for others, one sometimes wondered why she would put herself through such discomfort. She would sometimes forego her sleep and stay up all night in preparing these foods for people. As if this was not enough, she would be the same person serving others during the festive occasions she labored for in preparing the meals.

The Amponsah family has indeed lost a priceless gem. The Church of Pentecost and the Teaneck community have lost such a committed servant. We will greatly miss your presence in the land of the living. In as much as we grieve, we are consoled by the promise of Jesus in John 16:22: "So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy".

We believe that the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Though we miss you here on earth, we know that you are experiencing comfort like you have never experienced before, and you are witnessing firsthand the glory of our Father in heaven with the host of angels and saints, and we believe that your tears have been wiped away and no more will you ever see sorrow.

Rest comfortably Deaconess Francisca Ewurama Amponsah, till we meet again!