Gabanabotho Nanki Otukile

Gabanabotho Nanki Otukile. Los Angeles CA.
September 9 1972 --October 23 2025
With the late afternoon sun streaming through the windows the angels came and took our beautiful African princess Gabanabotho "Nanki" Otukile to her place in the heavens.

It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the passing of our beautiful girl, mother, sister, aunt and friend at the all too young age of 53.
Nanki as she was affectionately known was a wonderful and beautiful person inside and out.
A genuinely good soul she was kind, generous and unselfish almost to a fault.
Always thinking of others before herself she was well loved by so many people of different paths, drawn to her wonderful and kind nature.
She will be missed by so many.

She is survived by her longtime boyfriend and partner John J Massaro of Los Angeles CA (Hartford Ct), her sister and best friend Nchale Anderson of Sacramento California(Botswana Africa), her favorite niece Lindiwe Anderson and her dog Jasper also of Sacramento, daughter Gorata Otukile, niece Lorato and husband Jimmy all from the bay area and two brothers in Botswana Africa.
In addition she will be missed by her adopted niece Brittany Massaro and members of the extended Massaro family of the greater Hartford Ct area.
She will also leave behind her large group of healthcare co-workers and African sisterhood friends from countries through out Africa and beyond.
Too many to mention she had great and loving friendships with Lindi, Pai, Felicia andNeo just to name a few.
She was predeceased by her mother Khutsafalo and father Gatsawetho Otukile and three brothers from the proud Otukile family of Botswana Africa.

Nanki was obviously well loved.
It was due to her authentic and good personality.
She never said a bad word about anyone
Except maybe once or twice directed at her longtime boyfriend Mr. Massaro.
And she never swore or used a cuss word ever.
She was a shining example of how we can treat each other with respect, no exceptions.

Born in the diamond mining town of Orapa in the beautiful country of Botswana Nanki persevered through very humble beginnings, often going to bed hungry. Something many of us could never understand
This led to her life long appreciation of the small things and contributed to her humble and gracious demeanor.
She lost both her parents at a young age.
But she overcame her obstacles to build a better life for herself.
She was very proud of her Botswanan heritage promoting its food and culture whenever she could.
And when Botswana won their first gold medal in the 2024 summer Olympics she was beaming with a smile from ear to ear.
She was always a sight to see.

But Nanki wanted a better life for her and her daughter Gorata.
And when she emigrated to the United States with the help of her close sister Nchale she hit the ground running in search of her American dream.
One of the proudest moments of her life was the day she was sworn in as a United States citizen.
She was American now and quickly ingratiated herself with America and it's culture.
She especially grew to enjoy watching western movies and "her girl" Judge Judy.
She also enjoyed food from many cuisines, and for a naturally slim women she could pack away a good meal.

Always a hard worker she climbed the ladder in the healthcare industry eventually settling in Los Angeles CA.
She enjoyed helping others and this suited her career as a certified nurses assistant while also pursuing her education to attain a nursing degree.
In addition she had part time jobs as a licensed pharmacy technician.
She was an over achiever.
She was always one of the most appreciated and well liked employees at any job she had.

Nanki always said that no one is perfect. And maybe her imperfection was driving. Even she admitted that she probably wasn't the best driver.
Nonetheless she hit the treacherous Los Angeles freeways every morning in her little red car, her first car, driving her usual steady pace of 49 mph in the crazed rush hour traffic, almost always staying in the same lane for the entire trip.
She always arrived to work early.
Eventually she found her dream job at the prestigious Cedars Sinai Hospital in Beverly Hills where she became one of the most valued and popular employees, in our humble opinion anyway.

When she attained some level of financial security she was most proud of her rising credit score which reached an excellent rating of 830.
Never one to brag she would smile slyly whenever the subject of credit scores or credit cards came up.
One time exclaiming "I have reached the American Dream, people want to lend me money and put me in debt."
She had a clever and dry sense of humor about her.
But she never did go in debt and promptly paid all her bills on time.
Coming from her very humble beginnings this level of monetary comfort was a major achievement.
She was a success story.

About this time she also discovered another passion which was her love of travel.
She took many trips inside the United States and abroad, highlighted by her epic 50th birthday adventure to London, Paris, Rome and all points in between.
Nanki was a beautiful African woman with glowing ebony skin. A natural beauty who took great care in her grooming and appearance. With her meticulously picked out outfits she received many compliments on numerous times during her travels and in general.
And, of course, she flashed her dancing skills on dance floors all over the states and the world.
Never one to shy away from "getting her groove" on.
She was always a sight to see.

But life has its own unexpected course sometimes.
Unfortunately she received a heartbreaking cancer diagnosis at all too young an age, while experiencing only mild symptoms.
She was the prototypical cancer warrior and survivor. She had the heart of a lion. Never complaining, never wanting pity. But always so brave, full of hope and optimism. She was our personal hero.
She deserved better and more years of happiness, especially someone like the person she was.
And yes, they are called cancer warriors and survivors for good reason, fighting the battle. Our hearts go out to anyone who has lost a loved one or knows someone who is suffering from this terrible disease.
Please make a generous donation in Gabanabotho Nanki Otukiles name to Ovarian cancer research (OCRA). Or make a donation to any cancer organization so we can all help to find a cure and better treatments.

Our great thanks go to Dr. Andrew John Li , of the Cedars Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center, his nurse practitioner Brooke and Nanki's entire care team for their top notch cutting edge treatment and compassionate care. They gave Nanki additional years to live her life to the fullest which she did with enthusiasm.
We would also like to thank the members of the Kardia United Methodist church in West Los Angeles CA for their spiritual and emotionally support to Nanki. This wonderful church is mostly a Korean congregation where Nanki walked in one day and was immediately welcomed with open arms.
That's the kind of person she was.

Our hearts break as Nanki is gone now. She has gone to reside with the ancestors.
But, of course, she will never be forgotten.
And if you ever go to the sacred, hallowed ground of the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana, a bucket list trip for sure, you will see her.
Just look up at night and you will see her star. The brightest star.
Look up wherever you are and you will see her bright star or the star of someone you have loved and lost.
And try to be good to each other.

In keeping with Nanki's humble nature calling hours will be in the hearts and minds of everyone who knew and loved her.
A church service and celebration of her life may come at a future date in the Los Angeles area.
If you knew her, reach out to her sister or her large group of friends for information.
Goodbye Nanki
We love. We miss you. We will never forget you.

Please donate generously to cancer research.
And enjoy every day.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Gabanabotho Nanki Otukile, please visit our flower store.