Gabriella Ayine

GABRIELLA AYINE

We pay our respect and remember Gabriella who touched the lives of many.

Gabriella was born on 24^th March 1956 in Tamale in the Northern Region of Ghana to Benedict and Rose Alebna of blessed memory. She was a third child of six children.

She attended St. George’s Primary School from 1961 to 1967 and St. John’s Middle School from 1967 to 1969, Bolgatanga, Ghana.

She proceeded to St. Francis Girls’ Secondary School, Jirapa, Ghana, from 1969 to 1974, where she obtained the General Certificate Examination Ordinary Level certificate. Gabriella was part of the St. Francis Girls Secondary School athletic team, where she played netball and run for the school during inter-school athletic competitions.

After her secondary education she decided to pursue her interest to become a nurse. While waiting to gain admission to a Nursing Training School, she worked with the Electricity Corporation of Ghana in Bolgatanga as a clerk from 1974 to 1976.

Growing up, Gabriella was very much a part of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bolgatanga. She actively participated in activities organized by the Reverend Sisters for young girls in Bolgatanga for their spiritual and social formation. She was involved in Girls Guides activities and performed in church dramas at various feast days. Gabriella had a sweet voice and joined the Sacred Heart Choir in Bolgatanga to worship God through song ministration.

She met Gabriel Ayine, in her middle school days, whom she later married in 1981 in Bolgatanga.

Gabriella attended the Nurses Training College in Tamale from 1976 to 1979 and qualified as a State Registered Nurse. After that she worked as a nurse at the Tamale Regional Hospital, Ghana. While, working in Tamale she pursued further training in nursing.  She attended the Midwifery Training School in Kumasi, Ghana, from May1980 to May 1981and completed as a Certified Midwife. She was adjudged the best Midwifery student at the end of the training. She pursued the Public Health Nursing Training at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, Ghana from 1983 to 1984 and became a public health nurse.

She continued to work at the Tamale Regional Hospital.

In 1987 she was transferred from Tamale to Accra to join her husband who was then working there. She was posted to the Madina Polyclinic, Accra where she worked from 1987 to 1997 and rose to the position of a senior nursing officer. She resigned from the Ministry of Health, Ghana in 1997.

Gabriella left Ghana in August 1997 with her son Sydney to join her husband in the USA, who was then studying at Howard University, Washington DC.

In 1998, Gabriella attended the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) where she pursued the Associate of Science degree in Nursing. She graduated with the Associates of Science degree in nursing (RN) in 2002.

Gabriella was employed as a registered nurse (RN) at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore after graduating from CCBC. While working there, she took classes at the then College of Notre Dame of Maryland and now Notre Dame University of Maryland. After a fast-track program, she earned the Bachelor of Science degree in nursing.

Gabriella had a successful nursing career. She was a workaholic and never missed a day, even after a serious head on car collision, she still reported to work that very day. That was how Gabriella was dedicated to her job. Her hard work did not go unnoticed. At Mercy Medical Center she got the Compassionate Giver Award in 2008, a true reflection of whom she was. Again, in April 2011, she received the Daisy Award for Extraordinary Nurses, a very prestigious award given to highly dedicated nurses.

With such a brilliant professional record, coupled with dedication to duty, Gabriella was being coached for leadership position at the Mercy Medical Center.

Gabriella was one of a kind. She had a warm personality that made everyone around her feel welcome and comfortable. She was humble, generous, compassionate, hospitable, and selfless.

Gabriella brought a lot of joy and honor to her family and loved ones. We thank God for the gift of such a wonderful person. She was a blessing and made a difference in our lives as a wife, sister, cousin, aunt, friend, and colleague.

She passed on peacefully on the morning of Friday October 22, 2021. She is survived by her husband, aunties, sister, brother, cousins, nieces, and nephews.

She is preceded by her two sons: Sydney and Williams.

Gabriella, you meant so much to us. We will sorely miss you. We will hold you close in our hearts and there you will remain. Your memory will always be a blessing to us.

Eternal rest, grant into her O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon her.

Contributions may be made in memory to Holy Family Catholic Church, Mitchellville.