“Shame on You, Death — You Have Not Won”: Widow of Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah Pays Heartbreaking Tribute

By Joylinda Laryea / 15 August, 2025

In a deeply emotional tribute at the interdenominational state funeral held on Friday, August 15, the wife of the late Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah, one of the victims of the August 6 military helicopter crash, delivered a stirring farewell filled with love, faith, and sorrow.

Having been married for only a month before the tragedy, the grieving widow recounted their final exchange on the morning of the crash.

“Mankyɛ, it has been days, and you have not called at 5 a.m. for us to pray,” she said tearfully. “On that Wednesday morning, I called you and told you I woke up feeling very sad, and I didn’t know why. Immediately, your first solution to everything was what you suggested. We prayed, and you said you had your flight to Obuasi and you would be back. I am still waiting. I don’t know how long I will wait, but I will still wait.”

Despite her pain, she declared her hope in faith, rejecting death's finality with the words:

“Shame on you, death, you have not won. Christ has, because Ernest died knowing Him as his Lord and Saviour. You will forever be my hero, forever in my thoughts, never to die.”

Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah was one of eight people who lost their lives when a Ghana Air Force Z-9 helicopter crashed at Adansi Akrofuom in the Ashanti Region. The team was en route to Obuasi for the launch of the Responsible Community and Cooperative Mining Programme.

Others who died in the crash included Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation; Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Minister for Defence; Samuel Aboagye, former parliamentary candidate; Dr. Samuel Sarpong, Vice Chairman of the NDC; and Alhaji Limuna Muniru Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator.

The remaining crew members who perished were Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala and Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu.

The tribute, delivered with raw emotion and spiritual resolve, captured the heartbreak shared by many families and underscored the deep personal losses behind the national tragedy