Francis A. Agbali : A Rare Gem dies in An Auto Crash, Supporting His Family Abroad Urgently Needed

A Nigerian based abroad,  Kogi born,  Agricultural Expert of Igala extraction, Francis A. Agbali died tragically on Friday May 15th, three days after his 49th birthday. Francis died in a terrible accident while doing what he loved, working on a car and trying to support his family. Francis leaves behind his wife Christy and three young sons, Jean Praise, Mishael, and Joshua. 

Francis and his family are from Nigeria, and they came here to support Francis while he pursued his PhD in agricultural engineering. His goal was to return home and make a positive impact on his local agricultural community.

 Now, with his untimely passing, his family needs our help. They are in an uncertain situation, but one thing is certain, they have very little financial stability. I will be collecting donations for his wife and kids, please read about Francis below..

 

I met Francis in grad school and quickly became great friends, and we quickly began introducing each other as "brothers". 

Francis was brilliant, kind-hearted, and always genuine. He was soulful man of deep Christian faith and strong values. Always generous, he was committed to helping others and always willing to sacrifice his time and energy for those around him. Now it's time to return this favor to him by supporting his family during this difficult time. Right now, and in the foreseeable future, all financial assistance to the family would be a great relief. 

I hope we can provide some financial help for basic things like food and rent, possible relocation costs, and a mountain of other expenses as his family tries to get back on their feet.

Something I'll always cherish are the many proverbs he would share, he had one for every occasion. This is one he certainly lived by: "A coward dies many times, but the bold only dies once." 

Despite Francis's hardships, he always persevered, facing the challenges of daily life head on. He was a devout Christian and loved talking about his faith and looking spiffy for the Sunday service. A few more things I will always remember: His eye-watering hot-pepper bone-in fish-soup, his sneaky dexterity with a ping-pong paddle, his ability to make a second-hand suit look proper, his love of tinkering, his spirituality, and his never-ending perseverance.

 

My last story about Francis is about his faith in God and himself, and one that makes me smile. Francis loved bidding on old public surplus vehicles, with the idea of fixing them up for resale. One afternoon he bid ~$400 (that he didn't have) on an old Crown Vic police cruiser, and to his surprise, he was the highest bidder when the auction was over. After his moment of triumph, he looks at me and asks "Ehh Joe, where is Nebraska?" He took a 20+ hour greyhound headed West to drive a car that wasn't guaranteed to make it home, but he found a way. Now it is time for us to find a way to support his family during their time in need. Anything you are able to donate will go a long way, and be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks to all.

Helping  the Agbali Family https://gf.me/u/x26wur