Kissy was a small village. The people were not wealthy, but they were rich in family and community. Everybody knew everybody. Christian was born a twin on 21st March 1938 and had a sister named Taiwo (RIP). He also had a younger brother named Alieu.

His mother Ahbeyo separated from his father Johannes when he was a boy. The split was not amicable so he did not get to see his father too often after the separation. His father died a few years later. Growing up without a father left a void in his life that was difficult to fill. This is probably why it was it was so important to him to be a present provider for his children when he grew up.

He was a strong believer in hard work being the passport to success, so despite the many obstacles of poverty and a single-parent home he worked hard and achieved good grades at CMS Grammar School in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He often shared stories of how despite the fact that he only had one set of school uniform which he would wash, dry and press daily, he was still always smart and well turned out.  

As a boy he often spent time with and visited his best friend Modupeh Cowan (RIP) who lived across the road and that's where he met his childhood sweetheart Gladys, Modupeh's sister, who he would fall in love with and later marry. 

On graduating from Grammar School, he embarked on a short career in printing. However, he longed for a better life, so when the opportunity arose for a new life in the UK, he took it and subsequently sent for his childhood sweetheart Gladys to join him once he was settled. 

In 1962 Sierra Leone was still a British Colony which meant it's citizens had a right to reside in the UK. Christian (or Kehinde) as he was known to freinds and family took the opportunity and arrived in the UK in 1962.

Initially life in the UK was not all he had dreamed. Due to extreme racism at the time, he was unwelcome in many places. Securing accommodation was particularly difficult as it was for many black people coming from West Africa and the Caribbean in the 1960's. He often told stories of being promised accommodation by telephone only to be refused it on arrival when the landlord realised he was black! In fact on one occasion the landlady fainted when she opened the door because she'd never seen a black man before!

Shortly after his arrival in the UK, Gladys arrived  and they were married in St James’ Church, Croydon on 21st March 1964, which also happened to be Christian's birthday.  

Christian & Gladys were blessed with four children, Christopher, Annette, Christie & Nina. His 1st , 2nd, and 3rd love were his family. Torn between the duty to provide and being a father to his children he spent more time at work than he would have liked to but when he was at home he ensured that he spent quality time with his family. There were many day trips to the seaside  with other family members following convoy style in their cars as their was no satelitte navigation back then, just good old-fashioned map reading!

Even after a long day at work, he never complained when his youngest daughter Nina would pounce on him as soon as he came through the door, as nobody played "horsie" like her daddy. He'd get down on all fours, she'd jump on his back and away they'd go, amid much laughter and delight from the rest of the household.

On arrival in the UK he had hoped to become a doctor and passed the entrance exams for medical school with flying colours. Unfortunately he couldn’t afford the fees and his family back home were unable to support him, so he could not enrol. At that point, he decided if he couldn’t be a doctor he would be the best nurse England had ever seen.  

When his Medical School dreams were shelved he expressed an interest in journalism. However it was the 60’s and journalism was a “closed shop” back then. You had to be a union member to work and black people were not allowed to join.

A career in medicine continued to call him,and at that point, he decided if he couldn’t be a doctor he would be the best nurse England had ever seen. His training took place at Mayday University Hospital (now Croydon University. Hospital). He studied hard and was consistentely near the top of his class.

He was among the first wave a students to graduate from Mayday University Hospital (now Croydon University Hospital). He qualified as a State Registered Nurse (SRN) and subsequently a Registered Mental Nurse (RMN).

All the years we've visited that hospital and walked down those corridors, we never noticed in a framed picture the top students of the first graduating class hanging in its halls, with a young Christian standing on the back row proudly clutching his certificate and awards. Ironically, this was the very hospital he died in on 3rd April 2020.

If Christian did anything, you could be assured it would be done well, so it was no surprise that he continually moved up in the ranks over the years and retired occupying the position of Unit Manager at Springfield Hospital in Tooting, South London. His work meant a lot to him and he was proud of his achievements. He was always studying which enabled him to achieve several promotions at work. However nothing meant more to him than his family, which were always the most important part of his life. 

Christian and Gladys achieved their dream of building a house in Sierra Leone and returning to retire. After many years of overtime and second jobs, they were finally able complete the circle. 

He was an active freemason in Freetown and regularly visited his lodge and participated in fundraising for worthy causes. He had a busy social life and  he and Gladys regularly entertained guests and attended functions.

However this dream was cut short due to repeated civil wars. They tried going back to try again many times, but each time had to repatriate to the UK due to civil unrest. After the 3rd repatriation, they decided to call it a day and return to the UK permanently.
Chris was never happier than when he was on that balcony in the sun watching the world go by.

Once again, he was back in the UK. He still continued to be an active freemason and could recite pages of ceremonies and speeches from memory without the assistance of a book or notes, even in his 80's. His precious balcony however, was now replaced with a sofa and satellite TV!

Sundays were the highlight of the week when Gladys would cook dinner and his children and grandchildren would visit. He would take great pleasure in playfully teasing his grandchildren much to their dismay and our amusement.The house would light up with laughter and joy as everyone talked about the events of the week, life in general or just shared a joke or two.