Mr. Samuel Rigii Njoroge

Born on November 13, 1941, Samuel Rigi Njoroge was the fifth child of Rigi Karanja Chege and Mary Njeri Nyanjega Rigii of Kanyariri in Nairobi, Kenya, where he grew up with his four brothers: Geoffrey Karanja Rigii, James Rigi Ndung'u, Henry Rigii Chege and Benson Rigi Kibugi. All brothers preceded him in death. . At a very early age, Samuel Njoroge was baptized and confirmed at The Kanyariri Anglican Church of Kenya. After completing Kanyariri Primary School, Samuel attended Kangaru Boys High School. He continued his formal education in the United States. Samuel earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University, in Lafayette, IN, in 1968. Upon graduation, he worked for the General Electric Company in Chicago, IL until 1972. On November 27, 1970, Samuel, or Njoroge, as he preferred to be called, was united in marriage to Evelyn Cannon of Braxton, MS. They were blessed with three children, Njeri, Rigil, and Henry. Njoroge moved his family to Nairobi, Kenya in 1972, where he and his wife established a nurturing home. Their two younger children were born in Kenya. Upon returning to Nairobi, Njoroge was employed by Kenya Power and Lighting Company. He served faithfully until retirement in 1993. After retirement he joined his wife and children in the United States, who had preceded him in the move. Too young to actually retire, Njoroge joined his wife as an employee of The Mendenhall Ministries, (TMM), the outreach ministry of Mendenhall Bible Church, in Mendenhall, MS. He provided Information Technology (IT) support at various levels, from 1994 to 2017. He was affectionally known at TMM as Mr. "G." In 1994, Njoroge rededicated his life to Jesus Christ and was baptized by water emersion at The Jerusalem M.B. Church by the late Pastor A.J. Johnson. He served for a season as an usher. Njoroge's favorite hymn was Amazing Grace. He was quiet and pragmatic. He was 'old school'-a disciplined man who strongly felt that children should be seen and not heard. However, he bent the rules when it came to his grandchildren, sparing them nothing. He thoroughly enjoyed being their “Babu”. After his second retirement, Njoroge tried his hand at farming: first raising goats, later he turned to gardening. He proved to be a master gardener, growing large and beautiful cabbages, collards, kale, turnips, cauliflower, beans, and peas. He spent many enjoyable hours almost daily maintaining his garden. Njoroge also stayed abreast of trends in the IT industry including robotics. He occasionally took on short-term projects and performed computer software updates and hardware repairs for family and friends. Njoroge will be greatly missed by his family and friends. He leaves to mourn his passing, his wife: Evelyn (Pat) Njoroge; their children: Dr. Njeri Njoroge (Waiganjo Kamau), Nairobi, Kenya; Rigii Njoroge (Kimberly), Milwaukee, WI; Henry Cannon Karanja Njoroge, (Aileen), Omaha, NE; their grandchildren: Wanjiku Evelyn Njoroge, Kamau Waiganjo, Njeri Eva-Marie Njoroge, Nyambura Carrie-Anne Njoroge, and Kabiaru Geoffrey-Rigii Njoroge; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Mr. Samuel Rigii Njoroge

November 13, 1941 - December 10, 2022