The state funeral for the victims of the August 6 helicopter crash at the Black Star Square was marked by deep sorrow as Mercy Amoah, wife of the late Sergeant Ernest Addo, delivered a moving tribute to her husband.
Having married on July 5, 2025—barely a month before the tragedy, Mercy’s words captured the weight of her grief. She began her tribute with heartfelt emotion: “My biggest cheerleader, the kindest of hearts, my big brother, and my Mantse, putting words together for your tribute is the hardest task I have ever been given. My heart aches beyond words thinking of not seeing your beautiful ‘receptionist smile,’ as you called it, or hearing you call me ‘Manye’ a hundred times in a day.”
Reflecting on their bond, she expressed how deeply he made her feel loved and understood. “You gave me the experience of being deeply understood, genuinely supported, and utterly loved. You often said, ‘Manye, I will give us a life that many people will wish to be in your shoes,’ but now, these shoes you’ve put on me, no one wishes to wear. Should I say you lied? No, because I know if you had control over life, you would choose to live a thousand years to make me happy.”
Mercy praised her late husband for his humility, dedication, and work ethic, qualities that earned him the nickname ‘Adwumawura.’ She recalled his special attachment to the Z9 helicopter, saying he treated it “like your first child” and would often stay up at night researching how to care for it. His faith, she noted, was unshakable.
“I affectionately called you ‘My Apostle.’ Mantse, it’s been days, and you have not called at 5 am for us to pray. Ah, Death, shame on you! You have not won; Christ has, because Ernest died knowing Him as his Lord and Saviour.”
She concluded her tribute with tearful words of farewell: “I was oblivious that death would take you so soon, but meeting you has shown me that angels truly exist in human form. You will forever be my HERO. Forever in my thoughts, never to die. Continue to rest in the bosom of our Lord till we meet again. Goodbye, My Love.”
