In memoriam

It is with great grief that we share the sad news of the passing of Ato Fereja Seifu. He passed away on November 25th at the age of 57, after battling illness for some time.

Fereja — affectionately called “Freddy” by many — had taken part in ESFNA since 1991 for the Portland team, as a player and as a board member. He was a die-hard ESFNA member and supporter who always had ideas to improve our organization. His friends will remember him as a great person: friendly, sociable, in love with soccer — simply a man with a great heart. Rest in peace, Freddy.

Abush Muluneh — “Abi”, as he was affectionately called — had been an active player of the Portland Ethiopian Sports Club since 2011. His life was cut short at the young age of 20.

He will be greatly missed by his teammates, friends and family in Portland, in Ethiopia and at ESFNA. ESFNA expresses its condolences to all who loved him, including his brother Ayele, the club's board member and an active player himself.

ESFNA is deeply saddened by the untimely death of Dawit Berhe — known to his friends as “Jungo” — in a car accident in Florida, where he lived. Dawit played professionally for clubs in Ethiopia including Medhin and Mekelakeya. After coming to the US in 2005 he played for several ESFNA teams, among them St. Michael and San Francisco.

Dawit was a friend to many and will be sorely missed by all he touched in ESFNA.

Abel grew up with his grandparents in Ethiopia and joined his mother in the U.S. after middle school. He finished high school, graduated from UMD, and was very active in the Ethiopian Student Union while in college.

He played soccer growing up in Ethiopia, in every school he attended, and in ESFNA tournaments for at least 15 years with the DC Ethio Stars. He was loved by family and friends for his positive and respectful attitude — always cheerful, on the field or on the bench.

Ato Tessema was a major sponsor of ESFNA clubs — the San Francisco Walias and the LA Stars — for many years, and of ESFNA itself in 2006. All who met him or worked with his company are deeply grateful for that support.

His story is the American dream come true. He came to America at 17 with $500 in his pocket and supported himself as a cab driver. While working on a student project at San Francisco City College he came up with the idea for the Bowflex exercise machine, patented it, and — when the manufacturers declined — marketed it directly to consumers, leading his company to a successful IPO.