Emelia Mamuna Cofie(Akpa)
The late Emelia Mamuna Cofie was born on April 1925 in the then Coalter House at Brima located behind the central Post-Office Accra to the late E Azumah Cofie and Grace Sarka Nettey.
At a very tender age she was taken over by her paternal grandmother, the late Okailey Welbeck to her residence at Onomroko near the Usher Fort Prisons and continued to stay there until her transition lately on 20th October 1987.
As a toddler she was at the Accra United School for a time and later continued at the Accra County School of the then famous retired Government School Teachers of the late Morrisson Ardayfo and Cole
Now at the proper school going age she entered the Wesleyan Methodist School at Accra and when at Standard for transferred to the Kobo Girls' School at Odumase Krobo
Owing to some eye troubles she left Odumase Kiobo after a year and enrolled at the Accra Royal School at James Town and finally in 1941 was at the Presbyterian Girls' School at
Christiansborg
As the paternal grandmother was a petty trader dealing in textiles and other sundry Items the young Emelia took to this vocation at an earlier age and on Saturdays and during the school holidays, she accompanied her to the Makola No. One market and was also hawking items about in parts of Accra.
By 1940 she had met her childhood friend. T.T. Tackle Yarboi and the ensuing marriage lasted until her sudden death.
She was very fruitful and have had six sons and three daughters. However, her eldest daughter. Naa Yarley born in December 1944 died soon after in April of 1946. The rest under her devoted motherly care had grown up and had given her twenty three grandchildren to mourn her.
Even though Mamuna Cofie was married to a Traditionalist believing in customary practices, she was a devout Christian and had all her children baptized in the Christian faith and also dutifully practiced her Christianity firstly with the Methodist and lately in the Apostolic persuasion.
In November, 1953 she was in Kumasi where the husband was on transfer since June 1952 to the then Post and Telegraphs Department and stayed at North Suntresu being very helpful with the upbringing of her children and dealing in the making and sale of "Togber" and "Mamu Kakro".
She left Kumasi finally for Accra in November 1964 and in December 1964 the husband who had transferred to the Ministry of Trade on promotion also came to join her in Accra
In early 1977 she was in Copenhagen, Denmark where the husband, T.T. Tackie -Yarboi was on posting as the first Commercial Counsellor at the Embassy of the Republic of Ghana
Adult Life
They left Denmark in December 1977 with one of her son’s Tortro Tackie-Yarbol as the husband had reached his compulsory retiring age and then stayed in London with the Ricky Tackie-Yarboi until the 28th February, 1978.
They finally came to Accra leaving behind Torto Tackie-Yarboi in London.
Back in Accra, she continued retailing rice in one of the stalls at the Makola Market until its demolition. Now advancing on in age she was at home and devoted her whole time to now bringing up her grandchildren in her Christian worship and faith - implicit faith in Jesus Christ the savior.
She was now always reading her bible until her eye started troubling her and she became very worried of eventually becoming blind as a cataract had started developing in other eye.
Her youngest daughter Abigail Naa Yarkai Tackie-Yarboi who are delivered a baby boy had applied for a Visa for her to come to London when her heavenly call suddenly came on Wednesday, 20th October 1993.
Her whole life had been one of sacrifice and service at whatever price to her family and she left exceedingly happy when her grandchild Theophilus Nii Ofoli Tackie-Yarboi enplaned on the 15th October to travel to America to further his education.
Knowing that her life was ebbing away fast to eternity