By Jerromie S. Walters
Current President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and former President George M. Weah have paid a solemn condolence visit to the home of the late First Lady Madam Nancy Ghanyea Bohn Doe, widow of former Liberian President Samuel Kanyon Doe.
President Boakai visited the late widow’s home on Friday, June 6, 2025, while former President Weah did his on Sunday, June 8, 2025. President Joseph Boakai extended heartfelt sympathies to the Doe family on behalf of the Government and people of Liberia.
During his visit, President Boakai described Madam Doe as “a motherly figure whose dignity in the face of adversity inspired many Liberians.” He further emphasized that Liberia must honor all those who have played a role in its national journey, regardless of era or political alignment.
“History must remember all of its children,” President Boakai stated, adding, “We come not just to mourn, but to honor the life and legacy of a woman who stood firmly beside her husband and bore the weight of national service with strength and humility.”
The President was accompanied by senior officials of government, including members of the Cabinet and Executive Mansion staff.
For the former president, he sympathized verbally with the family and noted, “I treated Nancy Doe with respect. We should not let anything come between us. We are one people. We need peace.” Weah also presented a package of 1 million Liberian dollars (approximately $5,000 USD) and 50 bags of rice to the family of the late Nancy Doe. He also pledged to provide two cows for the funeral. “On behalf of the CDC, my wife, and my family, I say ‘sorry,'” President Weah said, before tearing up.
Madam Nancy Doe passed away on May 21, 2025, after a prolonged illness. Her funeral arrangements are being spearheaded by the family in coordination with the Government of Liberia. She was born in 1949 in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County. Madam Doe moved to Monrovia in the 1960s, where she worked as a merchant. She married Samuel Doe, who was in the Liberian Armed Forces, in either 1968 or 1969.
Together, they had four children. After Samuel gained control of Liberia in the 1980 coup d’état, Nancy became First Lady. As first lady, she established a national market women’s association. The Nancy B. Doe Market, in Jorkpeh Town, Sinkor, was established in her honor. In June 1983, during a visit to the United States, Nancy helped establish scholarship opportunities for Liberian students at Chicago State University.
After her husband Samuel was executed in 1990, and the First Liberian Civil War began, Doe went into exile. She returned to Liberia after the second civil war, sometime before 2005. On 12 November 2016, Doe filed a lawsuit against the Liberian government to the ECOWAS Court, claiming the government denied her access to the bank accounts of her deceased husband. In 2019, the court ruled in favor of Doe, ordering the government to pay Doe a sum of $18 million (~$21.2 million in 2023) U.S. dollars.
