Biography

Early Life

Obaapanyin Mary Yeboah, popularly known as Maame Adwoa Darkowaa, was born on 10th February 1936, in Elmina in the Central Region of Ghana, to Mr. William Kofi Yeboah and Madam Anna Aba Asantewaa Eshun, both of blessed memory.

She was the only surviving daughter of her parents. 

Due to her father’s job that required frequent movement among locations, she travelled most parts of the country with her family. She would eventually move to stay with one of her aunts, Auntie Ekua, in Tarkwa in the Western Region, because she was unable to cope with her parents’ constant relocations.

Maame Darkowaa was not privileged  to receive formal education as girl-child education was not encouraged in her formative years and instead assisted her Auntie with her business activities at Tarkwa. As life became more challenging, she left Tarkwa and moved in with another aunt, Auntie Akosua Afodua, and her husband in Achiase in the Central Region. There, she continued supporting their trading activities since Achiase then was a major railway station and a business hub for many traders. 

Determined to improve her situation, Darkowaa left Achiase and moved in with her grandfather, Nana Ayebianin, in Amissano - Elmina, also in the Central Region. She eventually settled with Uncle Kwamina Nekye (Uncle Mfemfem), who took her to Kumasi. 

Because of the business knowledge she acquired from staying with different family members and the stress from her business pursuits, she resolved to support her children in every way possible to get the best education they could, to avoid enduring the hardship she had suffered in her formative years.

Social and Economic Life (Legacy and Impact)

When Maame Darkowaa finally settled in Kumasi, she continued her trading business, dealing mainly in maize, plantain, and fish. She bought maize and plantain in Kumasi and transported them to Mankessim on market days and to the University of Cape Coast (UCC) to sell. With the proceeds, she purchased fish, which she brought back to Kumasi for resale. This trading cycle became her steady routine for many years. Having mastered the art of commerce, Maame Darkowaa later moved to Techimantia to live with her parents, where she joined her mother in preparing and selling banku and kenkey. Together, the pair became well known throughout the town for their thriving food business. Having settled in well at Techimantia, she married and raised her children with love, determination, and discipline. 

Despite the success of the banku and kenkey business, she never abandoned her other ventures, trading in fish, maize, and plantain. Instead, she expanded the trading route to include trips to Buipe, Techiman and Yeji and later added farming. For many years in her active life, her industrious routine remained the same: buying maize, plantain, and palm fruits for sale in Buipe; using the proceeds to purchase fish to sell in Techimantia; then reinvesting the proceeds in goods for resale in Mankessim before returning home with fish again. On weekends, she would tend to her farm before beginning the cycle anew each week. 

During one of her trading journeys to Buipe, she was unfortunately caught in one of the conflicts that occasionally erupted in the North, but she never gave up, and her resilience never wavered. With many mouths to feed, she remained steadfast in her responsibility to ensure that everyone in her care was well provided for. 

Known affectionately later in life as Eno Mary, though she never had the privilege of formal education, she was deeply committed to ensuring that all her children received one. Through her hard work and determination, she raised professionals who became senior public servants, bankers, nurses, and private businessmen. She was the proud mother of twelve children and took great joy in their company. At social gatherings, she was always delighted to be seen surrounded by her ten surviving children, eight sons and two daughters. Her commitment to education extended beyond her immediate family, as she quietly supported many others in their educational pursuits. Since her passing, the family has received countless testimonies from people whose lives she touched, a true reflection of her generosity, perseverance, and love.

Character and Personality

Eno Mary was a woman of quiet strength, deep compassion, and unwavering faith in the power of kindness, virtues she passed on to her children and to all who lived with her. As a devoted Catholic, her generosity knew no bounds; she extended kindness to nearly every pastor who was posted to the Techimantia regardless of his or her religious denomination. Each time she returned from her trading journeys, she would carefully select the choicest portions of her fish and send her children to deliver them to pastors, relatives, and friends. Maame Darkowaa’s life was a living testimony to the biblical truth: “Give, and it shall be given unto you; a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap”. Her kindness was a seed that bore fruit not only for her but for everyone around her. Her children and extended family have continued to benefit from the kindness and generosity she sowed. Indeed, after her passing, many people have come forward to offer help freely providing accommodation, food, music, and other support.

She was a survivor and taught her family surviving skills and how to face life with a positive attitude: never giving up, never being complacent, and never being lazy. She was humble and calm, but she was firm in her convictions, and she would not tolerate any act of indiscipline. She embodied patience, love, and decency, and instilled those same virtues in her children and extended family.

Spiritual Life

Obaapanyin Mary Yeboah was a devoted Catholic who raised all her children in the same faith. She took her relationship with God seriously, and it was evident in the kindness, humility, and compassion with which she treated others. For many years, she and her mother served as cooks for visiting priests when the Catholic Church at Techimantia did not yet have one of its own. According to the church, she was a pioneer member of the Catholic Women’s Association and served faithfully in several other capacities. In recognition of her lifelong service and devotion, the Church honored her posthumously during the climax of its centenary anniversary celebration on September 27, 2025.

Final Days

In her later days, Maame Darkowaa’s health began to decline. The Priest and church members often visited to pray with her and to share Holy Communion on Sundays. When she was admitted to the SDA Hospital in Sunyani, her children and other family members gathered around her bedside. She asked them to pray with her, and together they lifted songs and prayers. On 10th August 2025, Eno Mary responded humbly to a higher call by her Maker. She leaves behind a legacy of faith, love, and service, along with many children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren who continue to be blessed by her example.

Eno Mary Obaatanpa, we love you, but God loves

you most, so He has called you home for a better

purpose. Eno Mary, yen dofo fonafo, nante yie,

Nyame mfa wo kra nsie. Amen