G.N. Nwoffiah was born to Nwoffiah Okoye Nwabude in 1931 in Umueze Anam, Anambra State, Nigeria. He was the fourth of nine children and at a very early age began to show great wisdom and intelligence that endeared him to his father and the elders of the clan. His Emeliani age grade colleagues very quicklyztook notice and allowed young Gabriel to adjudicate matters and provide them guidance on issues. He attended St. Joseph’s Primary School, Onitsha where he distinguished himself in both sports and academics. After passing his Standard Six exams with distinction, he took the competitive entrance examination to Christ the King College (CKC) Onitsha. His performance in the entrance examination not only secured him admission into this prestigious school but the Onitsha Rural Areas Native Administration (ORANA) offered him a scholarship. GN (as he was popularly called) always recalls his admission into CKC as a dream come true. CKC was one of the premiere post-primary institutions in the country and securing a spot was a highly competitive process. He always recalled the fi rst day he stepped into the great campus of CKC and the pride he felt the first time we wore the school’ s much coveted White and Blue colors. The young teen, from a very humble background found himself very much challenged in this great institution as he had to compete with sons of well-off business men, politicians, diplomats and foreign students from Europe and other parts of Africa. His scholarship covered only tuition and so he had to scrape and struggle for books, clothes and other basic essentials. He persevered and as he tells it, although he did not own a single book to his name, he stacked up academic laurels at CKC including his senior Cambridge exams. Upon graduation from CKC, he was recruited by the Federal Gover nment of Nigeria to undergo training in Agricultural Studies at Federal School of Agriculture Ibadan. From there, he began an illustrious career of service that would last over three decades. GN stayed with the Federal Department of Agriculture till his retirement. A dedicated researcher, mentor and educator, his career was filled with many accomplishments and assignment s that included pioneering research on a variety of legumes and cereals, including: soybea ns, cowpeas, maize, rice; collaboration projects with the United Nations’ Institute for International Tropical Agriculture (IITA); and extension service work in several stations across the country teaching local farmers sustainable and environmentally friendly farming practices. Upon retirement, GN decided to move back to the village so he c an be home and as he put it “help move things forward”. He spent his retirement years serving the community and offering his great analytical mind and writing skills to every cause that needed him. His devotion to the church was unflinching and total. He dove right in on his return to Umueze Anam and worked tirelessly to help breath life into the St. Theresa’s Catholic Parish, Umueze Anam. Gabriel married Victoria Odigbo in 1958 and together they built a very fulfilled life of service to God. GN was a man who never sought credit for his deeds. He was ever so willing to sit back, smile and allow others to take the spotlight and seemed to find satisfaction in knowing that he helped make another person better. Despite his numerous laurels and positions, he never cared for big introductions with big titles and degrees. He would always ask to be simply called Gabriel Nwoffia h or GN if you knew him well enough. GN was a man of character who embodied the principles of love, respect, honor, strength, wisdom, courage, patience, and dignity. He lived a complete life of service to God and his legacy lives in all of us who knew him. Rest in Peace, our beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, teacher, mentor, adviser and confidante.