NEW YORK—Lillian Gobitas Klose, wanze kuramutsa ibendera maze bigatuma aburanishwa mu Rukiko rw’Ikirenga rwa Amerika, yapfuye ku itariki ya 22 Kanama 2014, agwa iwe mu rugo i Fayetteville, muri leta ya Georgia. Yari afite imyaka 90.

Lillian Gobitas na musaza we William, bombi bakaba bari Abahamya ba Yehova, bafashe umwanzuro wo kutazongera kuramutsa ibendera igihe bari bamaze kumva ikiganiro cyahise kuri radiyo y’igihugu ku itariki ya 6 Ukwakira 1935. Icyo kiganiro cyavugaga amategeko yo muri Bibiliya abuzanya gusenga ibishushanyo. Nyuma y’ibyumweru bike, birukanwe ku ishuri bazira kwanga kuramutsa ibendera. Se witwaga Walter, yatanze ikirego mu nkiko zo mu gace bari batuyemo kugira ngo uburenganzira bw’abana be bwubahirizwe kandi aratsinda. Abayobozi b’ishuri bajuririye Urukiko rw’Ikirenga ku itariki ya 3 Kamena 1940, maze haba urubanza Ishuri ry’Akarere ka Minersville ryaburanagamo na Gobitis, (izina ry’umuryango ryanditswe nabi mu madosiye y’urukiko), maze umuryango wa Gobitas uratsindwa. Imyaka itatu nyuma yaho, ku itariki ya 14 Kamena 1943 (ku munsi w’ibendera ry’igihugu), Urukiko rw’Ikirenga rwasheshe umwanzuro w’urubanza Gobitis yaburanye mu mwaka 1940. Ibyo byatewe n’imyanzuro yari yafashwe mu rundi rubanza Inama y’uburezi leta ya West Virginia yaburanagamo na Barnette, watumye abana b’Abahamya basubira ku ishuri. Bwari ubwa mbere mu mateka ya Amerika Urukiko rw’Ikirenga rwisubiraho mu gihe gito nk’icyo.

Lillian Gobitas yavukiye i Minersville, muri leta ya Pennsylvania ku itariki ya 2 Ugushyingo 1923. Se yitwaga Walter Gobitas na nyina akitwa Ruth. Lillian yabatijwe ku itariki ya 14 Werurwe 1935, aba Umuhamya wa Yehova. Igihe yari afite imyaka 20 yabaye umubwiriza umara igihe kinini mu murimo wo kwigisha Bibiliya (abo twita abapayiniya b’igihe cyose), nyuma yaho aza gukora ku cyicaro gikuru cy’Abahamya ba Yehova kiri i Brooklyn, muri leta ya New York, kuva muri Gashyantare 1946 kugeza muri Mata 1953.

Igihe Lillian yajyaga mu ikoraniro ry’Abahamya ba Yehova ryabereye mu Burayi mu mwaka wa 1951, yahuriye na Erwin Klose ku biro by’ishami byo mu Budage. Barushijeho kumenyana igihe Klose yigaga Ishuri rya Bibiliya rya Watchtower rya Gileyadi, ritoza abamisiyonari b’Abahamya, ryabereye i South Lansing, muri leta ya New York. Klose yarangije iryo shuri mu mwaka wa 1952 kandi yemera kujya gukorera umurimo i Vienne muri Otirishiya. Lillian na we yarangije mu ishuri ritoza abamisiyonari b’Abahamya muri Gashyantare 1954.

Ku itariki ya 24 Werurwe 1954, we na Klose bashyingiraniwe i Vienne maze bakomeza gukorera hamwe umurimo w’ubumisiyonari muri Otirishiya. Mu mpera z’uwo mwaka basubiye muri Amerika kubera ko Klose yari arwaye cyane bitewe n’ingaruka z’ibikorwa bibi yakorewe igihe yari mu kigo cy’Abanazi cyakoranyirizwagamo imfungwa azira ko ari Umuhamya wa Yehova. Nyuma yaho baje kubyara abana babiri, ari bo Stephen Paul na Judith Deborah. Mu mwaka wa 1967, umuryango wa Klose wimukiye i Riverdale muri leta ya Georgia, maze abagize umuryango bose bagura umurimo wabo wo kwigisha Bibiliya.

Lillian asize umukobwa we Judith Klose, abo bavukana, ari bo Jeanne Fry, Grace Reinisch na Paul Gobitas. Yabanje gupfusha umugabo we, ababyeyi be, musaza we witwa William Gobitas, umukobwa bavukana witwa Joy Yubeta n’umwana we witwa Stephen Paul Klose.

Ushinzwe amakuru:

Ku rwego mpuzamahanga: J. R. Brown, wo mu rwego rushinzwe amakuru, tel. +1 718 560 5000