OBITUARY

ANAKO ANNETTE LUMUMBA(1984-2018)

Anako Annette Lumumba passed away untimely on May 3, 2018 in South Burlington,
Vermont. She was born on September 15, 1984 in the little Catholic town of Tshumbe in the
province of Sankuru, Democratic Republic of the Congo, to Papa Benoit Lumumba and
Mama Marie Lushima. Both devout Catholics, Annette’s parents raised her and her siblings
in accordance with Christian values: humility, honesty, responsibility, love and care for
others. In her early life, at the kindergarten and elementary school in the town of Lodja,
Annette displayed those values in her interactions with her teachers and other children,
and became the beloved child of everyone there. It is from that school that Annette started
developing a passion for the nursing profession, which she later on pursued at a medical
high school in Tshumbe. After obtaining a high school certificate in nursing, Annette, her
mother and siblings immigrated to the USA in the wake of the overthrow of the
dictatorship of Mobutu and the spate of political violence that marked the arrival of the late
president Joseph Desiré Kabila in power towards the end of the 1990s.

Annette, her siblings and mother arrived in Burlington, Vermont, in 2002, and have since
made it their second home. As soon as the family settled down in Burlington, Annette
enrolled in English language lessons at St. Michael’s College in Colchester and quickly
became fluent in spoken English. Thereafter, she took nursing education prerequisite
courses at the Vermont Community College (CCV) while working at Harbor Nursing Home
where she obtained her License Nurse Assistant (LNA) certificate. From Harbor, Annette
moved to Burlington Rehab (now Genesis Health Care) where she worked for ten years as
LNA while enrolled in a License Practical Nurse (LPN) program at North Country
Community College, New York. Upon the successful completion of her LPN program, she
was promoted to the position of Nursing Supervisor, and was honored as Nurse of the Year
at Genesis in 2016. Both at the Harbor and Genesis, Annette was well liked by her
superiors, colleagues and beloved patients.

Annette comes from a very large family, and she leaves behind three young children,
Crispin, Nelly, and Aaliyah. She is also survived by her parents as well as many siblings,
cousins, aunts, uncles, and her beloved maternal grandmother, Mama Alice. She will be
sorely missed by her mother who describes Annette as her friend, confidante and
counselor. The family draws comfort in the knowledge that she is now in a better place, in
the hands of the Almighty God whom she worshipped while alive.

As the whole family mourns the untimely passing of Annette, they would also like to thank
all the well-wishers from all the corners of Vermont whose outpouring of sympathy, love,
and material assistance has been a great source of comfort for them. Special thanks to
police chief Trevor Whipple and his team for their care and updates on the case; Director of
Victim Services, Kate Brayton; Annette’s colleagues at Genesis Healthcare; the UVM
community; the African community in Vermont, Our Lady of Providence community, St.
Francis Church community; and LaVigne Funeral Home Director . The family has set up an
online fundraiser for Annette’s children, and would prefer that donations be made through
this link in lieu of flowers. https://www.gofundme.com/action-for-anako

Annette will be laid to rest on Thursday, May 17, 2018 at St. Francis Cemetery after a brief
farewell Mass at 1:00 PM. Below is the funeral program:

Thursday, May 17, 2018

Place: LaVigne Funeral Home and Cremation
132 Main St.
Winooski, VT 05404
Calling hours: 10 am-12 noon
Mass: St. Francis: 1:00
St. Francis Cemetery: burial