George Funwie Muforza was laid to rest in the Bamenda III Municipality, where he had served as a councillor since the creation of the council in 2007.
The funeral service, led by the Nkwen Baptist Church, brought together members of his family, political colleagues, council officials, friends and community members to celebrate his life and mourn his passing.
George Funwie died on 31 July 2026, leaving behind his wife, Asumbela Clarisse Gloria, their children and a political and community legacy built through years of public service.
In a deeply emotional tribute, his wife described her late husband as her partner, father, brother and best friend.
“There are no perfect words, just endless love and sorrow,” she said adding “You were my partner, my father, my brother, my best friend. How lovable and caring you were.”
Asumbela Clarisse said his death had left the family heartbroken, adding that his departure was particularly painful because they had not expected it.
“With deep pain in our hearts, I forgive you, Daddy,” she said, before bidding farewell to her husband, fondly known in the family as “Papa Te”.
His son, Foncha, also struggled to put into words the loss of his father.
“Today is a day I never imagined I would have to stand before people and speak about my father in the past tense,” he said.
Foncha described his father as his teacher, protector and a major influence in his life.
“Daddy, losing you has left a space in my heart that I know can never truly be filled,” he said, asking, “Who had confidence in me as you did? Who will call me ‘My Benjamin’?”
He said lessons from his father were often communicated not only through words but through his actions, sacrifices, advice and the way he lived.
“Your journey on this earth has come to an end, but your story has not,” Foncha said. “It continues in your children. It continues in your family. It continues in the people whose lives you touched.”
He also recalled what he described as the last words his father sent him, congratulating him on his academic results and assuring him of his prayers and pride.
“Rest in peace, Daddy. Until we meet again,” he concluded.
Bamenda III Mayor Fongu Cletus Tanwe paid tribute to George Funwie as a brother, friend, colleague and committed public servant.
Mayor Fongu described his death as the loss of “a most respectable politician” who left behind a legacy of “selfless service, humanity and unwavering commitment to the people he faithfully served”.
George Funwie joined the Social Democratic Front in 1990 and became one of the pioneer councillors of the Bamenda III Council following its creation in 2007. He subsequently served as a Grand Councillor of the Bamenda City Council after its creation in 2020.
At the time of his death, he was Vice District Chairman of the Bamenda III Electoral District of the SDF, Chairman of the Works and Transport Committee of the Bamenda III Council and a member of the Works and Transport Committee of the Bamenda City Council.
According to Mayor Cletus Tanwe, Funwie did not regard politics merely as a position.
“He didn't see politics as a title, he saw it as responsibility, as a call to serve his community,” the Mayor said.
He recalled George Funwie as a caring and attentive leader who remained concerned about the suffering of residents, particularly the impact of the Anglophone crisis.
“He was a caring leader, a good listener, a meek person and believed that public office was about serving people,” Tanwe said.
The Mayor said the absence of Geroge Funwie would be felt across the council, the community and the SDF, the political party to which he remained committed throughout his political career.
“Today the family mourns a loved one, the political party mourns a committed leader, the Bamenda III Council mourns its finest one, the community mourns a leader who stood and fought for the wellbeing of his people,” he said.
He added that his contribution to the community would continue to be remembered through his work in markets, roads, buildings and schools.
“Rest in peace, Honourable. Your vision for change in the council will live on,” Mayor Cletus Tanwe concluded.
While mourning George Funwie, the Nkwen Baptist Church used the funeral service to challenge mourners to reflect on their own lives and relationship with God.
Preaching from Revelation 14:13, Reverend Pastor Tanjang Rudolf reminded the congregation of the biblical assurance that those who die in the Lord are blessed because they rest from their labour and their deeds follow them.
The pastor argued that physical death should not be viewed as the ultimate tragedy for a believer, stressing instead the importance of one's spiritual preparation.
“The true question where we supposed for ask now for we serve,” he told mourners, urging them not to focus only on the circumstances surrounding his death but to examine their own lives.
He repeatedly challenged the congregation with a question: “On which road are you walking, the narrow road or the wide road?”
Pastor Tanjang said the funeral should therefore serve not only as a farewell to George Funwie but also as an opportunity for those present to reflect on their own mortality and relationship with God.
He prayed that the life and funeral of George Funwie would inspire others to turn towards God and that his legacy would continue through his family and the people he touched.
The funeral brought to a close a life that moved through business, family, faith and public service.
From his entry into the SDF in 1990 to his years as a pioneer councillor of Bamenda III and later Grand Councillor of the Bamenda City Council, he remained involved in the political and civic affairs of the community.
His burial in the municipality where he served for nearly two decades offered Bamenda III an opportunity to honour one of its long serving councillors while his family and friends said their final goodbye.
For those who gathered on Saturday, the mourning was not only for a husband and father, but also for a colleague, political companion and community servant whose presence had become part of the public life of Bamenda III.
George Muforza Funwie was 58.
By Bakah Derick for Hilltopvoices web
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