Friends of West African man raise money after his passing

Mamadou Goloko passed away last week; proceeds from a bake sale at City Market are going to his family

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By ASHLEY DICKSON
summit daily news
May 1, 2008

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DILLON — Employees at the City Market in Dillon organized a table of cookies and brownies on Thursday as part of a bake sale to raise money for the family of Mamadou Goloko who recently passed away.

Last week after complaining of chest pains at work, Goloko collapsed and was taken to the hospital only to die shortly after. He was 23.

Goloko worked in the deli at City Market for two years, and employees that knew him are now trying to raise money so his family can get his body transported back to Africa.

“It costs almost $8,000 to send him home, so we are trying to do what we can to raise the whole amount,” said Patricia Romero, a fellow employee.

When Romero first heard of Goloko’s passing she knew she had to take action and quickly put together a bake sale to help raise money.

“We are also planning on taking money out of the employee fund to make up the difference after we see how much we made in the fundraiser,” Romero added.

According to fellow employee Sarr Alassane, Goloko was from Mauritania, a country on the north-west coast of Africa. A week prior to his passing, Goloko’s wife came to Summit County for the first time, and she is now faced with the difficult task of transporting her husband across the world back to Africa.

“It’s very sad, and I know friends have said this was not the first time he had experienced chest pains,” said Alassane.

Employees at City Market describe Goloko as a friendly but quiet individual.
“I knew him for almost two years and when I heard he had died I was very sad,” said Cheikh Sy, who works in the deli. “He was a hard worker and a really nice person.”

Those interested in donating money to help Goloko return to Africa can call Patricia Romero at (970) 468-2363.

Ashley Dickson can be reached at (970) 668-4629, or at adickson@summitdaily.com.