'He was coming home for my mother's funeral,' says woman who lost husband in ET 302 crash

Piece by: Caren Nyota
Lifestyle

Linet Karimi has suffered a double tragedy. The young woman had just lost her mother and two days later, her husband perished in the Ethiopia airline ET 302.

Her husband Cedric Asiavugwa, who was based in Washington DC, was coming home for the funeral, which is slated for this weekend.

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In an interview with NTV, the heartbroken Linet said:

We discussed about that (my mother's death) and he told me not to worry that he would be home the next morning.'

After finding out her husband was in the ET 302, she said:

I couldn't believe that another person I so much loved could still be leaving me.

I don't know if I can describe what I did or happened.

Adding:

He had great plans for his baby. I'm hoping I will be able to step up and deliver for the baby.

His father Thomas Govedi, was overwhelmed with the sad news and he told NTV:

he's our pillar. He is our breadwinner. If it wasn't for him, I would have died long ago.

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The bereaved father who sobbed uncontrollably said some family members were planning to travel to Addis to bring Cedric's remains home.

Hata kama ni kidole tutapata nitazika.

Cedric was a student at Georgetown University studying Law and was set to graduate in two months time. His last message to his wife comforting her after losing her mother was a quote from Karl Rahner, which read:

The great and sad mistake of many people -- among them even pious persons -- is to imagine that those whom death has taken, leave us. They do not leave us. They remain! Where are they? In darkness? Oh no! It is we who are in darkness. We do not see them, but they see us. Their eyes, radiant with glory, are fixed upon our eyes . . . Oh, infinite consolation! Though invisible to us, our dead are not absent. They are living near us, transfigured into light, into power, into love.

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A statement from the University on Asiavugwa's untimely death read:

With his passing, the Georgetown family has lost a stellar student, a great friend to many, and a dedicated champion for social justice across East Africa and the world. His commitment to issues of social justice, especially serving refugees and other marginalized groups, led him to Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania before coming to Georgetown.

He was a beloved member of Georgetown’s Campus Ministry offices, tending to a group of first-year undergraduates for the last three years as a Residential Minister in the New South residence hall on the Hilltop and also interning in the Law Center’s Campus Ministry office.

Beyond his many commitments and contributions, Cedric’s friends and faculty in this community remember him as a kind, compassionate and gentle soul, known for his beautifully warm and infectious smile. We hope you will keep his many loved ones here and abroad in your thoughts and prayers as we grieve his passing.

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