Dr. Henry Zintambila Obituary (1944 - 2020)

Dr. Henry Zintambila, 76, passed away at 3:44 pm on Wednesday, December 9, 2020 at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center, Bloomington. Dr. Zintambila was born March 8, 1944 in Malawi, South Africa, son of Evison and Emily Mahuka Zintambila. Dr. Zintambila completed his Bachelor of Science at Spicer Memorial College in 1968. He then went on to complete his Master's degree at the University of Poona, India in 1970. In 1982, he completed his Ph.D at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Dr. Zintambila traveled around the country until he finally settled down and accepted a position as an Assistant Professor at Illinois State University in 1983. During his time at Illinois State University, he met the love of his life Janet K. Kidwaro. They got married on October 17, 1993. Together they had one son, Chiko Zintambila born July 31, 1994. Henry retired in May of 2020 after 37 years of teaching as a Professor of Geography at Illinois State University. Dr. Henry Zintambila was known to many as a very loving and hardworking man. Dr. Zintambila was heavily rooted in Christianity as his late father was a pastor. He belonged to the Seventh Day Adventist denomination. Dr. Zintambila loved reading his bible and singing hymns. He was considered an elder in his home church of Peoria Seventh Day Adventist Church. He loved very much Jesus and aimed to live every second as a living representation of him. Dr. Zintambila was also a very passionate man. He genuinely loved his job and loved his students even more. He could go on talking for hours on various topics whether it be geography, weather, politics or just simply sharing life stories. He genuinely loved to put a smile on people's faces and lived to be a servant to his community. As his health worsened, his concern would never be with himself but rather his students and family. One thing that Dr. Zintambila held dearest to him more than all else was his family. He was constantly working to provide funds to provide for his immediate family here in the US, as well has his extended family back home in Africa. He was responsible for bringing his younger brother over from Africa and giving him an opportunity at ISU. He also helped fund many more relatives in their various endeavors. Dr. Zintambila always kept his door open to guests, family or not. He had a love for cooking and would always cook for his guests. He also loved to travel. He was the type to opt to drive instead of fly so that he could enjoy sight-seeing nature. Unfortunately, the past few years of Dr. Zintambila's life were difficult. He began to battle with age and various medical complications. In 2005, he was diagnosed with prostrate cancer. He underwent surgery at Mayo Clinic in 2006 and came out on top with his battle with cancer. As time went on, he began to struggle with other major health challenges. He fought kidney failure, congestive heart failure, high blood pressure and primary stages of multiple myeloma over the last 5-10 years. Regardless, he fought hard to stay strong for his loved ones until the recent days. Surviving is his wife, Janet Zintambila; his son, Chiko Zintambila; his brother, Harry Zintambila; his sister, Evelyn Katumbi; his cousin, Ethel Jackson; his niece Sheila Rusibamayila; his nephew, David Phoso; his cousin, Frank Milazi; as well as many more nieces and nephews in Malawi. His funeral will be held at Eastview Christian Church in Normal on 12/18/20 at 12:00 PM. Visitation will be an hour prior. To express condolences online and view the full eulogy, please visit www.carmodyflynn.com In lieu of flower, memorial may be made to renovation of a church in Dr. Zintambila's hometown of Malawi. Any donations or financial contributions to our his Memorial Fund can be made on this link: https://paypal.me/pools/c/8v7xLtbrSY