 announced the passing of Yeshi Dama, a businesswoman in the DMV area and a long time supporter ...){kind=link}
Borkena
Toronto – The Ethiopian Sports Federation in North America (ESFNA) on Tuesday announced the passing of Yeshi Dama, a businesswoman in the DMV area and a long time supporter of ESFNA.
“It is with great sadness that the Ethiopian Sports Federation in North America (ESFNA) shares the passing of Yeshi Dama, a beloved member of our community, a long-time supporter of ESFNA teams in the DMV area, and a pioneering Ethiopian businesswoman in Virginia,” it said a message of condolence it shared on its social media page.
ESFNA described her as “a pillar of strength, kindness, and unity. Her unwavering commitment to advancing Ethiopian culture, sports, and business will forever be remembered.”
Others in the community remember her as “generous and selfless.”
She passed away on October 5, according to information from family members shared on social media. The funeral is scheduled for October 9 , 1:00 P.M. at Columbia Gardens Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
__
Support Borkena : https://borkena.com/subscribe-borkena/
Join our Telegram Channel : t.me/borkena
Like borkena on Facebook
To submit Press Release, send submission to info@borkena.com
Add your business to Ethiopian Business Listing / Ethiopian Business Directory
Join the conversation. Follow us on X (Formerly Twitter) @zborkena to get the latest Ethiopian News updates regularly.
Share
Greetings:
Today, our hearts are heavy with sorrow, but also full of profound gratitude for the life of Kibert Wiezero Ehit Yeshiye Dama, a woman who didn’t just live in this world but transformed it. Ehit Yeshiye served Jesus Christ and HIS will and the doors of heaven are wide open to receive her. With her dear husband Dr. Fekadu Folle they housed those who were in need of shelter and assistance regardless of the people’s ethnicity or racial background. It was in the scripture: Hebrews 13:2 “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”
Apparently, the funeral service at Debre Mehret St. Michael’s this morning was beautifully adorned by priests representing various Orthodox churches. It was a true blessing to witness such a moving and well attended ceremony. Her eulogy was powerful and gracefully delivered by Dr. Negussie Nega and her son-in-law.
Her power lived in quiet moments: in how she listened, in how she showed up, in how her presence made people feel like they mattered. Her name may not be etched in stone, but it is etched in hearts. And what a lasting mark she left. She provided opportunities to artists and the music-loving Ethiopian community in a pivotal way to preserve the culture and promote its prominence in the international community.
In essence her impact reached far beyond our communities even to the global stage. A few years ago, she was honored with the Philanthropist Award at the United Nations. It was a moment we were all so proud of. She stepped up to the podium, began reading from her prepared notes then paused. She folded them away, looked straight ahead, smiled big, and began to speak from the heart. What followed was a speech that touched the deepest parts of our souls. She didn’t just speak about caring for others; she embodied it. She made us feel it. Because caring was not a message she delivered it was the very essence of who she was.
She had a way of making everything better not by command, but through care. With open hands and an open heart, she gave. Always. And when she had nothing material left to offer, she gave her time, her ideas, her fierce, unwavering love. Generosity wasn’t a choice she made, it was simply who she was.
I was introduced to the loving Kele Dama, the youngest sister of the family in Ethiopia briefly, through our mutual friend Tegest G/Medhin, their cousin and my soul mate who is like a sister to me. Later, I had the joy of meeting the entire beautiful family in Washington, DC. I have no idea how I gravitated to Ehit Yeshiye in recent years but we did. It was an honor to know her.
I still remember how she checked on me during the pandemic. Always concerned, always offering advice, natural remedies, comforting words. I still keep “senafich” ie, anti oxidant in the house because of her, something I never thought to have before. She has been present in my life at a time when I lost my two big sisters and my brother in law one after the other. She has comforted me and prayed for me and with me on the phone. That was her way: quietly, lovingly changing the way we lived, cared, and connected.
She loved Ethiopia deeply not just as her homeland, but as her purpose. She believed people deserved more than just survival. She believed in joy, in dignity, in beauty, in possibility. Everyone one can witness that she didn’t stop at believing she built those things. Where there was nothing, she created something: programs, projects, safe spaces, moments of magic.
She had a rare gift seeing opportunity where others saw only barriers. She dreamed not for herself, but for others. And then she rolled up her sleeves and made those dreams real.
She mothered more than her own children; she mothered communities. She nurtured ideas, cultivated courage, and planted seeds of hope. You could bring her the broken pieces of a plan, a heart, a life and somehow, she would help you rebuild, based on her business acumen skills with quiet wisdom and fierce belief
Her legacy lives on in all of us. In how we care. In how we listen. In how we serve. In how we believe in the possibility of a better world and dare to create it.
We miss her deeply. We always will.
But the light she gave us through her love, her strength, her vision will continue to shine.
Because she taught us how.
May God give strength to all her beautiful loving and blessed family and those people whom she touched their hearts.
With love,
Tsigereda Mulugeta