Veteran gospel singer Bernice Offei has been laid to rest. Family members, friends, colleagues and sympathisers gathered at the Legon Interdenominational Church (LIC) in Accra on Saturday, 14 November, for her funeral service, GBC reported, two months after her death at the age of 63.
According to the funeral arrangements released by her family and published by Adomonline, the day began with filing past from 7am to 9am, followed by the burial service from 9am to 11am. Interment was private, with the final funeral rites held at the church afterwards.
A son’s tribute
YEN.com.gh reported in a post on X that her second son, Daniel Kweku Offei, delivered an emotional tribute to his mother during the final funeral rites.
A thanksgiving service is scheduled for Sunday, 15 November, at 10:30am at the same church. The family’s announcement asks mourners to wear black on Saturday and black and white on Sunday.
Three decades of gospel music
Born Bernice Ofeibea Djoleto, she died at the University of Ghana Medical Centre on 12 September 2026. She was known for songs including “Hold On”, “Life Is Short”, “Kaa She Gbeyei”, “It’s By Grace”, “Nyame Kokroko” and “N’adom Ara Kwa”, and GBC notes that she released six albums and recorded more than 40 songs in a career spanning more than three decades.
In 2009 she won Best Female Vocal Performance and Songwriter of the Year at the Ghana Music Awards, now the Telecel Ghana Music Awards, as the Ghana News Agency recalled. Alongside her music, she was a professional banker and, according to the family’s funeral announcement, a former Head of the Card Centre at Standard Chartered Bank Ghana.
She is survived by her husband, Professor Samuel Kwame Offei, a former Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, and their sons, Kevin Kwesi Offei and Daniel Kweku Offei.
The funeral rites began on Wednesday with a Night of Remembrance at the same church, and the gospel community has paid tribute to her in recent weeks, including at KAVOD 26.
Which Bernice Offei song means the most to you? Share your memories in the comments.
