OLUWATOYIN OGUNKOYA's Obituary
Oluwatoyin Kuburat Ogunkoya was born on September 27th, 1958, in Abeokuta, Nigeria, to Chief Pa Nosirudeen Akanni Shontan and Taibat Adunni Shontan (née Ajako). She was the second of seven children. She met and married her husband, Oladipupo Samuel Ogunkoya, and together they spent their college years in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. There, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Southern University. She later relocated to Maryland, where she built a community of friends who became family. On March 17, 1990, she welcomed her greatest joy, her daughter, Oluwatosin Ogunkoya (now Tosin Koya-Kuku). A tireless and selfless provider, she dedicated decades to working two jobs: serving as a teacher’s aide for children with special needs and as a personal caregiver in various group homes. Her friends and family would describe her as loving, motherly, generous, sassy, funny, industrious, and full of life. Her favorite pastimes were watching Nigerian films and Nigerian political/social news, gisting with her friends on the phone, and spending time with family. Over the years, she achieved many accomplishments, including owning two home properties in Nigeria as well as multiple shops and businesses. She lived with determination, pride, and an unwavering commitment to her family. She is survived by her daughter, Tosin Koya‑Kuku; her son‑in‑law, Kayode Kuku; her step daughter, Tomiwa Ogunkoya; her future grandchildren; her siblings— Sidikat Perera, Taiwo Shoaga, Kehinde Dosunmu, Tunde Shontan, Alaba Shontan, Taiwo Shontan, and Mutairu Shontan as well as many cherished friends, including her best friend, Oluwemimo Kolawole. Though her passing leaves an immeasurable void, she is not defined by her final days, but by a life lived with strength, laughter, compassion, and grace. Her legacy lives on in the countless lives she touched, the family she loved fiercely, and the memories that will forever remain in the hearts of those who knew her.
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