Collen "Oupa" Moruti Morare, M.D.

Dr Moruti Collen Oupa Morare was many thing to many people... Grandson, son, brother, nephew, cousin, physician, wine connoisseur, jazz aficionado, art curator, historian (with a biase towards religion and its peculiarities) , lover, husband (albeit with an x attached), father, grandpa. You can accuse the man of many things, Lord knows he had his flaws, but ordinary or boring are not words that you could put in the same sentence with his name. A consummate gentleman with a Don Juanic streak, he lived his life to wholeheartedly. If GO BIG OR GO HOME was a human being, his name would be Oupa To me, he was not just a cousin, he was my big brother, my sounding board. He was the guy who was ballsy enough to tell me the truth uncircumcised, especially when I didn't want to hear it. Oupa was that guy whose drop top gusheshe earned me quite a bit of street cred in my young days. I will forever be indebted to him for my broad world view and insatiable thirst for knowledge. As a deathcare professional, I have mastered the skill of emotional detachment. In order to give the bereaved family the best service, it is important to be empathetic but not emotional. Allowing them to grieve and being a pillar of support is your primary responsibility. This task is that much harder when the deceased is one of your own. In the years that I have spent so far in this industry, that difficulty has never been as pronounced to me as it has been over the last 12 days. As we laid your remains to rest today, I couldn't help but be grateful for the memories that you leave with us. The world will take on a slightly dull hue in your absence, but holding on to those memories will surely offer respite as we navigate the grief. Robala ka kgotso Tlou ya Madisanyane!!!