Akua Tokuaa (Rita A. Singleton), 73, of Las Vegas, passed away, August 5, 2022, in Centennial Hills Hospital, surrounded by her loving family after courageously battling a rare and aggressive form of cancer since 2019.

Born on Jan. 29, 1949, in Adensi Ayasi in Ghana, West Africa, she is the daughter of the late Opani Kojo Abu Adansi Kusa and Obaapani Adjwoa Biama Adensi Ayasi.

She is the widow of Alfred Schmuck and leaves behind her children’s father, Kwame Asiedu.

Akua distinguished herself early in life as an enthusiastic humanitarian and energetic advocate for others. She was an inspirational mother figure to many and personally, selflessly sponsored education for 10 children in her home village, where she was beloved.

She encouraged her friends, family members, and strangers to build better lives for themselves in Ghana and abroad. In gratitude, children around the world have been named after her in her honor.

She bravely traveled to America in 1970 with her husband, Kwame, to Detroit, Mich., trusting only in God to see them through.
Tenacious, brave, intrepid, and faithful, her motto was “Jehovah Jireh,” which means "The god who sees ahead and provides."
She was an entrepreneur most of her career. In the United States, she adopted an additional philosophy: “With great risk, comes greater success.”

She worked tirelessly as a devoted private care nurse for many years and provided warm and loving support to countless grateful families through end-of-life transitions.

She used her earnings to support her dream for her children to have a better life, and for her to return to Ghana to fulfill her self-imposed, altruistic obligation to uplift her Ghanian community and provide opportunities for others.

Akua was a world traveler and visited more than 20 countries. She strolled along the Great Wall of China, hiked in the mountains of Machu Picchu in Peru, navigated the great tombs of Egypt, and danced in the carnival parade of Rio de Janeiro. She loved astronomy, dancing, gardening, and collecting antiques.

She loved Ghanian classical music known as highlife, afrobeat, and salsa music. Her favorite song was “Jerusalema.”

She endorsed living a healthy lifestyle, made her own herbal teas, and shared her passion for organic living with everyone she met.

An incredible humanitarian and best friend to her children, she is also survived by her children: Kwabena Twenaboa (Mary), Nana Adoma, Kofi Nkrumah Singleton (Orquidea), Tameka Biama Singleton-Hughes (Thomas), and Dr. Vera Kwatemaa Singleton. In addition, she leaves her grandchildren: Rita, Alexia, Erica, Jada, Tameka, Ebenezer Twenebaoh Kodua, all of Accra, Ghana; Eissac and Katrina, both of Denver; and Victoria of California; and Troy and Twyla, both of Michigan; and Juleidy and Julissa of the Dominican Republic.

Akua will be laid to rest at Piedmont Funeral Services & Mountain View Cemetery, 5000 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland, Calif., 94611.

“Great souls die and our reality, bound to them, takes leave of us. Our souls, dependent upon their nurture, now shrink, wizened.” -- Maya Angelou