Remembering Camillus Apakama

Our friend and brother Camillus Apakama is gone.

His absence is palpable in the still morning air, when just days before it was filled with his infectious laughter.

Camillus was the San Ramon Farmers Market manager for only a year. Yet, as one of the vendors put it, “He was the kind of person that you don’t have to know for long to know him.”

A joyful soul, Camillus always had a big smile and a steady stream of friendly banter that never failed to cheer us — even on the wettest and gloomiest of market days.

His laughter was a wide net he would freely cast out, catching us in its warm web and drawing us closer together.

Originally from Umuete, a small village in the town of Umuaka in southeastern Nigeria, Camillus was friend to vendors and customers alike.

He was always willing to help, whether it was to assist one of us as we struggled to put up a canopy, cajole shoppers into sampling our offerings if business was slow, or to help someone carry bags of produce to their car.

He left us on Thursday, May 3, near market closing time.

Camillus was enjoying a slice of pie at the Heidi’s Pies booth and telling a customer, "If you eat pie, you become taller. If you don't eat pie, you become shorter. See? So you should eat some pie!"

We all laughed. I told him that was an interesting marketing angle.

A light rain began to fall. Camillus told Zan, proprietor of Heidi’s Pies, that he would be right back.

He started to put away some chairs. As he was walking with one, he collapsed.

Just like that.

We rushed to his aid, but could not revive him.

The folks at San Ramon Regional Medical Center said it was a massive heart attack. He was probably gone the moment he hit the pavement.

His sudden death tore a hole in the fabric of our day. One minute he was laughing and joking, the next moment he was gone.

Walid Saad, one of the Sunset Color Nursery vendors, said he was glad he could hold his friend’s hand when he died.

“Not many people in this life touch me,” Walid said. “But he touched me.”

Walid and Camillus enjoyed trading insults on a regular basis.

Just that morning, when Camillus walked by, Walid called out, "Hey, Ugly!"

Camillus called back, "What do you mean, ugly? Look at you. You look like a homeless person!"

Dave, the Kettlepop vendor, loved it when they went at each other like that.

"I just laugh," Dave said. “Those guys crack me up.”

Peni Havea, owner of Ofa’s Island BBQ, is originally from Tonga. He joked with Camillus about being a descendant of a long line of kings.

Camillus retorted that he was the king of Africa.

Then Camillus asked Peni’s youngest daughter, Ofa, if she thought he could be king. She said, “No, you’re too short.”

Peni asked Ofa if she thought he could be king, and she said, “No, you’re too round.”

As a tribute to Camillus, Peni and his family came to the market the Saturday after his death wearing T-shirts with Camillus and his famous smile printed on them, and the words: “The King and I, Forever in Our Hearts.”

Cathy Mellow of Mellow’s Nursery & Farms, who has worked at farmers markets for many years, said Camillus was one of the best market managers she’s ever had.

“He was phenomenal,” Cathy said. “If you needed help, he was there.”

“He took care of the vendors,” said . “He treated them like family.”

During a special service last Saturday celebrating Camillus’s life, Harv shared how, last winter, Camillus’s encouragement and optimism helped save the farmers market at a time when Harv felt like giving up.

“He believed in the market,” Harv said. “He told me, ‘We’ll make it work.’ He helped me turn things around.”

At the service, we learned that Camillus, nicknamed “Cammy,” was the oldest boy of nine children - six boys and three girls.

He came to the U.S. in 1980 to attend the University of Arkansas, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

While he was there, he fell in love with Country-Western music. I cracked up when he told me this a few weeks ago. I would not have guessed that a Nigerian guy would be into Country-Western.

Camillus earned an MBA from Texas A&M University, and later earned his Ph.D. in public administration.

We never knew he held a doctorate.

It would’ve been fun to call him Dr. Apakama.

A family member shared that Camillus had a passion for cooking, and said he may have missed his calling as a chef.

We already knew he loved food. He sampled offerings from the vendors all morning long as he made his rounds.

We learned that his body will be returned to Umuete for final funeral rites, in keeping with the village custom.

Camillus is gone, but he has not left us empty-handed. He gave us the gift of knowing him, of being in his joyful presence.

He brought us closer together.

Now when we greet one another at the market, we embrace, in remembrance of our friend and brother.

Camillus’s time with us was short, but the impact he made on our lives will last forever.

Pia Carlson of Faz Restaurants summed it up well in a note she wrote in Camillus’s memory book:

“Your smile made our market shine.”

Camillus Apakama is survived by his wife Ini, and daughters Ruby and Ayo. Donations in his memory can be made to: Camillus Apakama Memorial Fund, Wells Fargo Bank.