Anjalika Silva USA.

 It takes a special kind of person to care about those who are in distant faraway lands and identify with common ties in good times and bad. Tad impressed anyone that he met as filling that persona of caring beyond boundaries.

Tad Fekade first came into contact with us as Sri Lankans during our dark days a few decades ago.  I still remember his first communication with me in writing even before we met, reassuring us that those dark days won’t last forever.  He became a source of strength to those of us who spent many days and nights worrying about our loved ones in war torn Sri Lanka.  He drew from his experience and offered support from a distance sensing that we needed it.

It was the written communications that led us to meet a very special person who cared about our country Sri Lanka and its people. Over the years our common bonds grew in our desire to give back.  Give back he did to his country of birth Ethiopia and to his land of opportunity America.  Sri Lanka stood in the middle of his interests and he grew to build special relationships with us and to give a special place in his life to Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans.  Tad was there for his friends through thick and thin when he walked with the powerful at the pinnacle and stood by them in their troubled times purely in terms of human values.

His contact with Sri Lanka as the Consul General for Sri Lanka in Ethiopia opened a whole new world to him and he was so animated in his hopes and dreams for doing the best for both countries with his expertise gained in America.  He was a true friend to Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan people both in Ethiopia and Sri Lanka where he had plans for expanding employment for Sri Lankans in Ethiopia’s growing economy. Having retired from his position at the university, he gave all he had to the honorary service he seemed to enjoy very much.

It was very shocking to hear that he had passed away suddenly on May 22, 2016 when he called us only the week before and spoke at length about his plans for the future.  He was very proud of his children and shared their plans and was looking forward to visiting Washington D.C., more frequently.  It was with much sadness that we learned of his demise when we knew he had laid out so many unfinished plans, hopes and dreams for other people beyond his own.  He never failed to see if all was well with those who knew him whether from near or far. He extended himself beyond his strength when he was needed by anyone he could have helped.

People of such rare giving and compassion with a desire to see others do well, giving them opportunities to reach for success are so rare today.  Tad’s passing is an irreparable loss for those of us who knew him and for our friends he got to know on his visits to Sri Lanka that he held in high esteem.   His unfinished work and the people who he touched will be left with a profound void that only he could have filled.  The impact of his loss to Ethiopia and Sri Lanka is immeasurable and as a man of humility he may never have imagined the effect his loss would have on those he touched and left behind.

Our thoughts are shared with his grieving family in California.  May his soul rest in peace as he is buried in the land of his birth Ethiopia to which he gave so much with deep gratitude and love.

Anjalika Silva

USA.