After three decades of service in the pre-school programme of the Methodist Church, and a member of the Vaipotoomanu Church District, Nu'u, Talele Malu Faalogo, 87, widow of the late Rev. Maluofale Faalogo, died peacefully at home early morning of 6 June 2025. She was born on 3 March 1938.

In a eulogy, her daughter, Vaelua Ulia, wife of Land and Titles Court Vice President Leu Alani Ulia, said, there was only one word to describe their mother - o ia o le tina toa - she was a hero mother.

This is because, she said, "our father died a long time ago, 32 years, but she continued to honour her calling to the church through the pre-school program and service to the Vaipoto'omanu congregation, right until she died.

Besides her work as the wife of a minister serving a village congregation, she was also an assessor for years in the criminal court trials, mainly of cases concerning mothers in domestic violence against women and children.

She was a woman of faith, Vaelua said, and had memorised several verses of the Bible which she recited for solace during her illness.  Much of that time, she talked of the service of God and reminiscences about their work with our father. We learned a lot of valuable lessons from these talks.

Talele was born in Faleasi'u to Moefaauo Moeveve Lefale of Lufilufi, father, and Taufuaina Fesola'i of Faleasi'u, mother; she was the eldest of seven children, two brothers and four sisters. Educated in the Grade Two school at Faleasi'u and then the District School before entering nursing school. She was a qualified nurse before seeking a better future in New Zealand, where she married our father, she said, in 1960.

They came back and entered Piula Theological College in 1967 and then the Pacific Theological College (PTC) in Suva, Fiji, in 1974. Graduated in 1977 and taught at George Brown School at Fale'ula; entered Piula Theological College in 1979; was then appointed to serve at Faleatiu, followed by service at Malie, and then Fagatogo, American Samoa, where our father died in 1993, Vaelua said.

In 1994, the church called Talele to serve in the church's pre-school programme. She ended her service to the church with five (5) years at Vaipotomanu from 2000-2025.

It is a pity that such a woman of substance should die at a time when a church minister should advocate for the HRPP, if they get into power again, not to pay their promised assistance for the upkeep of babies unless the parents were married.

I hope the minister reads the Samoa Observer and takes note of the Editorial Boardf's advice: Churches have their work cut out for them. And it does not include discrimination against newborn babies.

Ia manuia tele le vaiaso fou.