Laticia A. Appiah

IMPORTANT UPDATE ON FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS Dear Friends: It is with deep pain and sorrow we inform you that, as a result of the current health crisis and restrictions placed on public gatherings, we have sadly cancelled all the events for Amma’s Celebration of Life planned for Friday March 20th (the viewing) and Saturday, March 21st (the Burial Service and Repast). We share in your disappointment for not being able to pay your last respects with us. An announcement for an upcoming Memorial Service honoring Amma will be coming soon. Thank you for your support during this difficult time, The Appiah Family “The quality, not the longevity, of one's life is what is important.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr. On Thursday, March 12, 2020, Laticia Amma Appiah, cherished gem of a daughter, sister, niece and aunt passed away at age 33. During her final weeks, she was surrounded by devoted friends and family. Amma touched many lives during her very brief but rich life, which was full of life and love. Like the savior Jesus Christ, who died at 33, Amma also passed to eternity at 33. Her life was short but impactful on those who knew her best. Those of us who were blessed to know her understood that the quality of her existence far exceeded the time she spent with us here on Earth. Laticia Amma Appiah was born to Kwabina and Audrey Appiah on December 13,1986 at Albert Einstein Hospital in Bronx, NY. At the age of two, the family moved first to Little Ferry, New Jersey and shortly after to Glen Rock, NJ where she spent her formative years amassing many friends and precious memories on the way. Amma, as she was called by her family, was a charming, sassy and classy young woman who had a shining light from within. The Appiah family made a final move to Montebello, NY where Amma attended Suffern High, graduating in June of 2004. From the start, she absolutely loved school where she bonded with so many classmates, often returning home with memorable stories that are still told to this day. Amma was beyond excited when she was accepted at Spelman College, a historically Black College in Atlanta, Georgia for women. She was very proud of her African-Jamaican heritage and cherished her beautiful chocolate toned skin. Who could resist her matching big, dazzling brown eyes and bright smile!! At Spelman, Amma became actively involved with “Sisters Keeping It Real Through Service, Inc.” (S.K.I.R.T.S.), a non-profit community service-based organization. This nonprofit’s mission is to provide underprivileged female youth with an opportunity to become strong, confident leaders. In May of 2008, Amma graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology. She was forever a proud Spelman alum and enjoyed years of post-grad off-campus recruitment activities. She will always be known as beautiful “Teesha” to her Spelman sisters, who loved her dearly and came from as far as Dubai to lend their own special touch and loving care to Teesha during her last days. Amma’s quest for knowledge also led her to pursue further studies at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Hackensack, New Jersey where she obtained a master’s degree in public administration in May 2018. She had applied to the university again as a PhD candidate and would have started classes in the Fall of 2020 before she became ill. She lived in the tri-state where she worked for several years. Amma had a life-long passion for serving others. It was not surprising then that she chose a career in healthcare. When Amma was younger, she would volunteer at local hospitals and camps for individuals with special needs. No wonder the last two institutions she worked for - Life Choice Hospice and the world-renowned Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center were all in the healthcare industry. She also did a lot of volunteer work for the non-profit organizations in healthcare, including the West African Health Foundation. Amma was a dedicated member of the Presbyterian Church of Teaneck and devoted time to various church activities. Amma had a natural, maternal gift for soothing children and was lovingly known in her family as “The Baby Whisperer.” She adored spending quality time with her nieces, cousins and nephews, imparting her wisdom and love upon them. Amma is survived by her loving parents, Kwabina and Audrey Appiah of Montebello, NY; brothers Kwaku and Christopher Appiah, sisters Tania Dougal and Vickie Dougal-Dennis, two nieces and three nephews. We miss her dearly. Amma “Da Yie. Damirifa Due.”