When the late former First Lady and wife to Ghana’s oldest-living former President, John Agyekum Kufuor, joined her ancestors in October 2023, many details of her life and the totality of the woman she was, beyond the public appearances, were told.

In the tributes that people penned down for her, one of the stories that captivated many was a reminder of how the late Theresa Aba Kufuor and her husband first met. That encounter in the United Kingdom (which John Kufuor described in his own tribute as 'a clearly fore-ordained introduction') became the birthing of a love story that spanned many decades.

Detailed under her biography, the story was told of how, as a young nurse-trainee in Edinburgh, in the United Kingdom, Theresa decided to attend a dance in London, organized for Ghanaians studying in that country.

As it was told in her obituary, “Before continuing her studies in Oxford, she attended a Republic Day dance in London with a friend. Unknown to her, a young man who had recently been called to the Bar at Lincoln’s Inn was also going to the dance. Coincidentally, he was planning to move on to Exeter College, Oxford, to further his studies, and had been advised by a friend to take a good look at Miss Theresa.”

Watch how mortal remains of Theresa Kufuor arrived in church for Requiem Mass

All was going just as planned for the young lawyer, John Agyekum Kufuor, and so he decided to make a quick, yet bold move. And timely too.

“John Agyekum Kufuor had set his heart on working in the public service and he wanted to find a Ghanaian woman to support him in that career. He asked to change partners on the dance floor and introduced himself to Theresa. They became friends. They later saw each other in Oxford and renewed their acquaintance.

“The following year, during a trip to Ghana to register for the Ghana Bar, John Kufuor told his mother about his friendship with Aba. His mother knew of the Mensah family, so she told him to take a bottle of schnapps to Okyeso, the Mensah family home, by way of an introduction. John was accompanied by a relative. At Okyeso, they saw Maame and her senior brother, Master Buahin, who recognised John from his time at Government Boys’ School. J H Mensah Snr (aka Paapa) was cordial and accepted the bottle of schnapps, but unfortunately, he died within a couple of weeks,” it added.

Their love and affection begun to grow from there and soon, they had made up their minds about their future together.

“The couple decided to get engaged and were married at the Brompton Oratory in Knightsbridge, London, on 8 September 1962. Theresa was sad that her father would not be walking her down the aisle. However, her brother JH was in London on his way to a conference, so he assumed that role,” it added.

At the time of her death on October 1, 2023, John Agyekum Kufuor and Theresa Aba Kufuor have been together in marriage for 61 years.

Former First Lady Theresa Kufuor dead

They had five children and currently have 14 grandchildren together.

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