In Loving Memory of Katundu

Dear Friends of Katundu;

It is with an extremely heavy heart that our beloved friend, Katundu, a loving husband to Mari and father of two beautiful young girls (5 and 3 year-olds), passed away on Friday, June 2, 2023. As many of you know that Katundu was a fighter; he fought his battle against lymphoma until the very end. Ironically, he was scheduled to be discharged to home on the following day, where his girls were waiting. He had wished to sleep in his own bed and spend more time with his family and friends. However, the day never came. Instead, his girls met him in a quiet hospital room on the evening that he passed…

If you know Katundu, you would agree that he has touched the lives of those around him, and we miss him dearly. He was intellectual, ambitious, kind, with a good sense of humor, someone who lights up a room. Here, of many things that he was passionate about, we would like to share two that he most valued.

First, Katundu believed in life-long education. One of the turning points of his life occured when Katundu was 17. His uncle, Charles, passed away. When growing up, Katundu considered Charles his closest and most influential family member. Charles taught Katundu that education is a powerful tool that can change one’s life by opening doors to a better future. After Charles’ death, while living in a small village in Zambia, Katundu was motivated to follow his uncle’s advice. He earned money to support himself and received a scholarship to move to England. He first majored in Pharmacology at University of Leeds, then earned a master’s degree in Molecular Biology from the School of Tropical Medicine at Liverpool doing research focusing on Malaria. Upon his graduation, he moved to his birth country, Zambia, where he worked at the Centre for Infectious Disease to improve medical care and lives of Zambians through research from 2011 to 2015. During this time, he had an opportunity to complete a research fellow training at University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), as well as an internship with Novartis in Switzerland. In 2016, he subsequently moved back to Birmingham, AL, where he was a graduate research assistant in the Department of Microbiology at UAB, where many of you got to know Katundu. He was very grateful for your support and friendship along his journey. He wanted his girls to embrace education in various forms, beyond the borders, and appreciate their multi-cultural roots (Zambian, Japanese, and more), just as he did.

Second, Katundu had long wanted to travel back home with his girls. There are three places that he called ‘home’; Zambia, his birthplace, England where he received most of his education, and Japan, where his wife, Mari, is from. He was loved by Mari’s family, who considered him their own. He and his family had dreamed that one day, they would visit these places where he would share his stories with his girls. He was not able to do so due to numerous rounds of cancer treatments and also due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mari and his family would love to make his dream come true for his children by traveling to these places, with him in spirit, to make long-lasting memories as a family.

While we are all devastated by the loss of Katundu, we would like to use this opportunity to celebrate his life and honor Katundu’s memory, his passion for science, education and travel.

Thank you in advance for your consideration. Any amount will be truly appreciated for raising funds to cover the cost of Katundu’s farewell services as well as to provide opportunities for his family to carry on his dreams for his girls.

Gratefully Yours,

I. Meyer, on behalf of Katundu Family