Funeral services were held on January 27, 2022, at the Memory Chapel at Anderson-Ragsdale Mortuary, with the burial following at Mt. Hope Cemetery. Final arrangements were entrusted to Anderson-Ragsdale Mortuary.
Melaku Mamo Desta, our brother, was born to his father Mr. Mamo Desta and his mother, Mrs. Komaes Mehretu, on March 28, 1960, in Maichew, Tigray, Ethiopia.
Lieutenant Melaku attended elementary and middle school in Maichew and graduated from Gonder High School in June 1977. Upon graduating from high school, Lieutenant Melaku joined the elite and well-renowned Harar Military Academy. After studying military science for four years, Melaku graduated from the Academy as a second Lieutenant in 1981. He then served his country with distinction for four years in several regions of the country.
In 1985, due to the political crises in Ethiopia, he left Ethiopia for Djibouti. In Djibouti, he met Tsehainesh Arefaine Kahsay and they were married in November 1985. Since Lieutenant Melaku’s life was in danger in Djibouti, Melaku and Tsehainesh were forced to move to Sudan and lived there for 5 years.
On November 20, 1991, Melaku, Tsehainesh, and their daughter, Senayzemen, and son, Yabet, migrated to the United States and settled in San Diego, California.
Lieutenant Melaku was a loving, caring, and a very hard-working person, who supported his family until he was diagnosed with kidney failure. After years of extensive treatment at Scripps La Jolla, he passed away on December 29, 2021, at Scripps La Jolla.
Lieutenant Melaku was survived by his wife, Tsehainesh, children: Senayzemen, Yabet, Abigya, and granddaughter Rahel.
