“Lives are like rivers: Eventually, they go where they must. Not where we want them to.”
—Richard Russo
With deep sorrow and much love, the Gaba and Dukuly Families announce the homegoing of their dear brother, father, grandfather, cousin, and uncle, Dr. Octavius Annan Gaba. This sad event occurred on April 19th, 2026, in Cincinnati, Ohio, following a protracted illness.
Octavius was born on July 31, 1953, to Klaus and Viola Gaba, both of whom predeceased him. Octavius spent most of his formative years in Gbarnga, Bong County, where he attended elementary and junior high school at the Gbarnga Methodist Mission.
He later matriculated to the Lutheran Training Institute (LTI), where he excelled in basketball and academics. Octavius later attended Cuttington College in Suacoco, Liberia, where he majored and graduated with a degree in education.
Motivated by his quest for knowledge, he later traveled to the U.S.A. as a Fulbright scholar, where he pursued graduate studies in education at the University of Maine, Orono. Octavius would later complete doctoral studies in theology from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Much of Octavius’s life was spent in service to others, marked by his many years of work as a pastor and educator in Virginia and Maryland. He was also the proud author of two published novels and an avid golfer.
Octavius is survived by his two children, Klaus (Eileen), Trudy, Gertrude Gaba, his ex-wife, grandchildren Lololi Zelda, and Yael Viola, brothers, Kwasi, Laud, and Jepthah, sisters Linda and Elfrieda, Aunty, Millie, and a host of relatives and friends in Liberia, Ghana, Sweden, Togo, and these United States. He was predeceased by his brother, Anani Gaba, and his sister, Elizabeth Gaba.
Funeral Arrangements for Dr. Octavius Gaba are as follows:
May 1st, 2026 9:30 Visitation, 10:30 Service, 12:00 Noon Burial
Service will be held at St. Mark A.M.E. Zion Church, 9208 Daly Road,
Cincinnati, OH, 45231
Burial will take place at Arlington Memorial Gardens 2145 Compton Rd.
Cincinnati, OH 45231
Repast will immediately follow the burial at St. Mark AME Zion Church.
Family Contacts:
Kwasi Gaba (770) 338-1569
Laud Gaba ( 770) 330- 4609
Trudy Gaba: 757-642-4419
Klaus Gaba:757-636-8329
