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Dr. Asimiyu (Sim) Akinade Oyetunji, Adieu!

I lost a dear friend and father figure here in Lexington Kentucky yesterday. He was 87 years young. I have known Baba, as I fondly call him, since 2015. We met at Walmart where he was working as a cashier then. He caught my attention because of his age and posture, and I wondered why an old man was still working at that age. Apparently, it was a choice for him....not that he needed the money parse, he just did not want to be idle nor wait for his well-trained children scattered across to give him handouts..

Dr. Alhaji Sim Oyetunji completed his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University in 1971 and he worked for Shell Corporation Nigeria till 1999 when he finally retired. Baba trained all his seven children through universities across the US. The least educated among them has a master's degree. They are engineers, pharmacists, author, and accountant, working for top companies in the US and UK.
 
With all his personal achievements and investment in his children, he was a humble man to the core. He was well-loved by all because he extended love to everyone he met. Especially if you are a Nigerian. He would want to know you and your family. He visited me many times including when my mom was around in 2018. It does not matter if you are a Muslim or Christian, he extended the same love to all. 
 
He will be missed. May God bless his wife and the children he left behind. May his soul rest in peace.
If you want to hear an interview he gave in 2017 here in Lexington to a group within the University of Kentucky, here is the link: 
 
https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt7pnv998z5v?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3bw5X3VMLuTV3QGfSich7r81LYFtX0ZXN5TSJJS3kMXG6IEhErQZtjfms_aem_Oxvkl1bdWg47kFRSetfOfQ
 
 
 

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