Well-known animal activist dies
A memorial service for Koekemoer will be held on Saturday, June 25 at Fish Eagle Café at Crocworld Conservation Centre at 1pm
In honour of Johnny Koekemoer’s memory, co-founder of 4 Paws and a Tale animal rescue, people are encouraged to donate to the non-profit organisation in lieu of flowers.
Koekemoer passed away on June 18.
Having spent a lifetime dedicated to helping animals, his family has requested that people kindly send donations to enable his wife, Nicky, to continue the life-changing work being done by the organisation for animal welfare.
Nicky said: “What can one say about Johnny Koekemoer? Husband, father, grandfather, good friend, and lover of any animal big or small. All of this will never be enough to explain what this man was about. He was one of a kind and the world has lost a very special man of God.”
She added that Koekemoer was born in Ermelo on July 1, 1953 on a very cold winter’s morning which, according to Nicky, is possibly why he loved the hot and clammy climate of the South Coast.
She added that after completing school, he worked in the local Post Office while dating Nicky, whom he met in high school.
The couple married soon after Nicky matriculated, and remained together ever since.
“This man loved life. He was a sports’ fanatic and had a wicked sense of humour,” she said, adding that they moved to Scottburgh in 1995, with Koekemoer taking a role as handyman at Scottburgh High School in 2001 where he worked until he fell ill in 2021.
“The school was his pride and joy. In 2005, when we rescued our first dog, he fell into this role without thinking twice and spent many hours feeding and loving these sentient beings who were abandoned, neglected, and abused,” she said.
The couple established 4 Paws as a way to assist neglected, abandoned, and abused animals in the area. With the assistance of dedicated volunteers and relying solely on public generosity, the organisation runs a feeding programme that provides for hundreds of dogs and cats daily.
They provide shelter, medical care, sterilisation programmes, rescue, rehabilitation and rehome animals.
A memorial service for Koekemoer will be held on Saturday, June 25 at Fish Eagle Café at Crocworld Conservation Centre at 1pm. To RSVP, contact 084 5146738.
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