Church Member, Beloved and Respected by Many, Laid to Rest

On November 12, 2014, family members, government officials, other civil organizations and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ghana met at the Church’s meetinghouse in Christiansborg, Accra to pay their last respects to Isaac Newton Nii Lante Addy, who is remembered by his friends as a selfless, unsung hero.

Addy was born on the June 4, 1938, in Keta, Volta Region, Ghana. He was raised a Catholic and later joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in England in 1976. He was one of the first African Latter-day Saints to receive the priesthood, which is the power and authority of God delegated to man on earth.

In an interview in 1998, Addy was quoted in an interview concerning the effect of the Church on his life.

“I was brought up in a religious home. I met the Church, and I am closer to everything within the Church now than any other thing in my life. My life has changed. Whenever I visit my brother (Jerry John Rawlings, former head of state) he says, ‘That man, he does not drink or smoke.’ He calls me a preacher. It’s something I look forward to. Whenever I go to public functions, I am peculiar. And I love it. I want to be that way, all because of the Church. This Church has really changed me.”

Addy’s life was one of service to family, church and country. He became a teacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ through serving others with all his heart, might and strength.  Many who paid tribute to him at the funeral spoke of these attributes.

“He is a clever and an intelligent man the Lord blessed me with,” said his wife, Mrs. June Gael Addy.  “I loved him for his special qualities and tendencies towards me and our children. My husband was very dear to our family members. He was unselfish towards all.”

His Excellency Jerry John Rawlings, Addy’s junior brother, said, “While I served as head of state, many journalists have asked me who is my hero or mentor. I have always replied, ‘How can a hungry African think of a hero or a mentor? I will rather look for how I can feed myself, clothe or house my people. But just recently when Nii passed on I came to know that I had a hero and a mentor with me all my growing life. Yes, Isaac Newton Addy is my hero and mentor.”
In another tribute paid at the funeral service, Daniel Kabason, leader of the Adenta stake (a stake is a group of Latter-day Saints congregations, similar to a diocese), said that Addy was a hard-working gentleman and diligent in his service to the Church and his Creator.

“He had a great passion for developing leadership in the Church, investing a significant amount of his time, energy and personal resources and serving often in difficult and challenging circumstances in West Africa. He was selfless in his service.”

The Ghana Scouts Association, where Addy served as a commissioner for ten years, wrote, “Commissioner Isaac Newton Addy was a revered and celebrated brother scout, a great counselor and an advocate of scouting for over 65 years in Ghana and the world over. He will be remembered as a true, selfless leader who promoted the development of the scout movement at both national and international levels.”
Mr. Joao Armando Goncalvales, Chairman of the World Scout Committee said, “I have seen and heard so many things about him. I cannot forget his kind gesture of removing his own woggle for me at the world conference in Slovenia in August 2014”.

Addy’s body was peacefully interred at the Gethsemane Memorial Garden in Shiashie, Accra.