Dr. Makonnen Fekadu

Dr. Makonnen Fekadu peacefully died on Monday, January 4, 2016 at home. He was born on June 28th, 1931 in Mekele, Ethiopia, the oldest son of Fekadu Bairu and Bezunesh GebreMariam. In 1953 Dr. Makonnen traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark where he earned a bachelors in Agricultural Engineering, a masters in microbiology and vaccine production and his doctorate in Veterinary Science. He met his lovely bride in Copenhagen and was married in 1957. Upon returning to Ethiopia with his family he joined the newly established medical faculty as an associate professor in microbiology. Subsequently he headed the Imperial Laboratory and Research Institute (formerly known as the Pasteur Institute) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. After leaving Ethiopia in 1975 he moved to Denmark where he enrolled and completed medical school. He later moved to Sweden where he earned his second doctorate in virology and zoonosis. In 1979 he moved to the United States where he worked for the Center for Disease Control, with his research and public health efforts mainly focused on rabies. After retiring from the CDC he worked for the Clinton Foundation on HIV/AIDS projects which required numerous trips back to Ethiopia. He was active in the community and is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Lisbet, their children, Aida, Rahel and Yohannes, and grandchildren Jonathan, Alexandra and Samuel.

Dr. Makonnen will be buried in his home town in Ethiopia and a memorial service will be held at the AS Turner & Sons Funeral Home in Decatur on January 16, 2016 at 11:00am. In lieu of flowers the family has requested donations be made to the Parkinson's Foundation. To donate please go to http://www.parkinson.org/donate, select 'tribute gift', and enter Dr. Makonnen Fekadu in the tribute name field.

Feel free to leave the family your condolences via the links provided.

Funeral Home:
A. S. Turner & Sons
2773 North Decatur Road
Decatur, GA
30033