Baffour K Takyi

Dr. Baffour K. Takyi, a professor of sociology age 64, passed away on November 18, 2020. Dr. Takyi was born on October 19, 1956 in Duayaw Nkwanta, Ghana. He was educated in his native Ghana and the United States. He earned a B.A. in Sociology with honors, at the University of Ghana, Legon in 1978. After a period of working as an Internal Auditor at the Ghana Audit Service and a Teacher in Nigeria, he migrated to the US in 1983 and obtained an M.A. (1986) and Ph.D. (1993) in Sociology at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany. Prior to joining The University of Akron (UA) in 1997, Dr. Takyi was an adjunct professor in the African Studies Department at SUNY-Albany and a policy research analyst for the New York State Department of Social Services (1990-1993) and New York State Department of Health (1993-1997). At UA, he taught undergraduate and graduate courses and his academic work focused on areas that included demographic and health outcomes in Africa, family dynamics, maternal and child health, religion and reproductive outcomes, the intersection of gender and power on fertility decision making, and the experiences of Africans and other black immigrants within the United States. In addition, he served as director of the Pan African Studies Program from October 2005 to May 2011.A prolific author, Dr. Takyi’s articles have appeared in such publications as Journal of Marriage and the family, Social Science and Medicine, Journal of Comparative Family, Sociological Focus, Family Perspectives, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Western Journal of Black Studies and Sociology of Religion. In addition, he has contributed chapters to several edited volumes on Family and Immigration and is co-editor on two books on “African Families and the Turn of the 21st Century” and “The Neo-Diaspora: Africans in America”. He was a member of the several professional associations which included American Sociological Association, Population Association of America, North Central Sociological Society, African Studies Association of America, National Council on Family Relations, Association of Black Sociologists, Association for the Study of Religion, and Ghana Studies Council.Dr. Takyi remained involved with the Ghanaian community home and abroad until his untimely passing. A kindhearted and committed father, uncle, grandfather, mentor, advisor, and friend, Dr. Takyi and his wife, Salomey, always opened their home to foreign students for Thanksgiving, which became a yearly tradition.Dr. Takyi is survived by his wife of 40 years, Mrs. Salomey Yeboaa Takyi, as well as his three sons, Kwame Baffour Takyi, Baffour Osei Takyi Jnr, Albert Kwaku Takyi, and his grandchild, Kaden Takyi. He is also survived by a brother (John Yaw Konadu), five sisters (Lydia Amma Gyamfua, Lillian Adjowa Achia Agyeman, Rose Vida Mensah, Janet Kunama Amponsah, and Mary Serwaa), nieces, and nephews. In addition to his parents, Dr. Takyi was preceded in death by his sister Ester Yeboah Mensah.A funeral service will be held at the Anthony Funeral Home Kucko-Anthony-Kertesz Chapel, 1990 S. Main St. in Akron, on December 12, 2020 at 1:00pm EST. Masks and social distancing will be required during the funeral service.

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