COACH EMEKA DILLIBE
It is with great sadness that we inform you that fellow AYSO coach Emeka Dillibe has passed away. Coach Emeka had been fighting a rare form of liver cancer. Please join us in keeping his wife Chika, daughter Janine, son Toby and their upcoming new arrival (due in May) in your prayers.
A website has been established to honor Emeka’s memory. Please visit this site and participate as we celebrate and honor his life: http://emekadillibe.memory-of.com
Professional Services needed - Chika needs help with some payroll/accounting functions for Emeka's company careprovider.org (a a human and social services resource). It is an immediate need, but will be crucial during Chika's travels to Nigeria. If you are willing to aid in this effort please contact - andydeahl@gmail.com
Claremont AYSO would be happy to deliver any cards or letters to the family - our address is 2058 N. Mills Ave., #506, Claremont, CA 91711, Attention Dillibe Family.
If anyone would like to post a message or photos on this page please email - claremontayso@gmail.com
EMEKA DILLIBE
January 26, 1973 – January 18, 2010
Chukwuemeka Obiora Dillibe was born on Friday, January 26 1973 to the family of (late) Engr. Sir and Lady E.C. Dillibe. He was the fifth of six children and the only son. Growing up in Aba, he left primary school and proceeded to Command Secondary School, Kaduna. Thereafter, he left for the United States on scholarship to study for the International Baccalaureate Diploma at the Armand Hammer United World College, in Montezuma, New Mexico. He went on to attend California State University, Los Angeles from where he graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice and Computer Information Systems.
After working in Health and Human Services industry for a while, Emeka, the enterprising young man that he was, set up Careprovider.org – a human and social services resource centre. With a few dedicated staff and uncommon perseverance, he grew the organization over the past decade to become the highly renowned establishment that it is today.
Emeka will be remembered mostly for being a ‘man of the people’. Mature far beyond his 36 years, even as a youngster, he always found friendship within groups that were considerably older than he was. On the other hand, he had a unique gift for working with the youth; a gift that made his group homes for troubled children quite successful. He also employed this gift extensively in his leisure activities as a successful soccer coach for the U-14 female league in Claremont. He was a selfless and generous spirit, constantly representing and promoting the interests of the defenseless and the voiceless. He was a member of the Covina Sunrise Rotary Club where he served as Director, International Services and played a very active role in rendering humanitarian services.
He lived to enrich the life of all he came across and made even casual acquaintances feel like they were family. He had the most amazing smile and could always be counted on for a generous dose of laughter and mischief. Yet, he never compromised on excellence and integrity and could always be relied upon to keep the ship on course. His generosity extended as well to his hometown where he single-handedly embarked on a number of community projects to give a facelift to the village school and the Anglican Church. Every member of Emeka’s extended family will bear testimony to his giving spirit as he was always quick to support all in one way or the other.
Being the only boy amongst five sisters, Emeka was highly domesticated and a family man in every sense of the word. Even though he left home at a considerably young age, he never lost sight of his roots. He remained true to the values he was raised with; willing to support anyone referred to him from ‘home’ to establish themselves and find their feet in the US. The lives that have been blessed by his generosity still bear witness to this gem of a fellow. He was not titled ‘Ukpaka n’agba n’udu mmiri’ for nothing.
In 2005 Emeka met Chikam, as he fondly called her, in Atlanta Georgia through their mutual friends Okem and Chika Akwiwu. After a short heated romance, they got engaged in September 2005 in Paradise Island, Nassau – Bahamas. Shortly thereafter, on November 28, Emeka and Chika said “I do” at a civil ceremony in Montclair, California and followed up with a church wedding on June 16, 2006. Anybody who knew Chika and Emeka knew that it was a match made by God. They were so in love with each other and that love outshined everything else.
Emeka fully appreciated himself. He loved his life and loved to take care of his body – inside out. Not given to destructive excesses, he paid close attention to maintaining a high profile of health and well-being at all times. It was therefore an understandable shock when, late last year, a few weeks after he began to feel unwell and tests were run; he was diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer. There was no reasonable answer to the obvious question, “How can this be?” But God, in His mercy, opened doors to apex medical institutions and personnel across the US and various lines of action were being developed to address the situation. Unfortunately, even before family members could digest the news and come to terms with the distressing development, and before any meaningful medical intervention could commence, his condition began to deteriorate at an alarming rate. Finally, on Monday, January 18 2010, in the presence of his wife and a few close friends, Emeka, the crown prince of the Dillibe family passed on to glory. He was just 8 days shy of his 37th birthday.
He left behind a completely dazed family: including Chika – his beautiful wife of just over three years; Janine – his lovely daughter; Tobenna – the baby prince; Emeka Jr. – his yet to be born child; his mother and four sisters; as well as in-laws, other relations and a vast circle of influence spread out right across the world. Emeka was preceded in death by his father and older sister.
Emeka’s death is a painful tragedy. Yet, the loss is not total. He was a committed Christian and therefore, we are assured that he is now with his Father, father and sister in heaven. What else can we say? May the God of all comfort minister His comfort to our hearts and souls as we face the rest of our days with the void created by Emeka’s shocking exit.
Let the fallen leaf whisper to the living…………
Remembering Coach Emeka
The world lost a truly great man this week. We had the good fortune to be on his teams for two seasons. This last season my daughter had decided to move on to other activities, but when she found out that we had Coach Emeka again, without hesitation came back for another season. He had a way of handling the kids that was firm but gentle. In the two seasons he was our coach, he never once raised his voice to the girls. His life’s work was working with troubled children and was suited to that to a “T”. He was a very nice and a special person on every level, and we will miss him more than we can say.