Bad blood still seems to be running deep within the Doe Family despite mourning the recent death of former First Lady Nancy B. Doe and alongside a reburial ceremony by the State of slain President Samuel Kanyon Doe here.
By: Emmanuel Wise Jipoh
Monrovia, Liberia; June 26, 2026 –What appears to be a month of grief and sorrow for Liberians, as they bid farewell to former First Lady Nancy B. Doe and memorialize slain President Samuel K. Doe, is turning into an awkward farewell occasion for members of the Doe Family, who look certainly divided despite mourning their passing.
The rift seems not to be settling anytime soon, as Family of the deceased, appears to be divided.
A daughter of the former President and the former First Lady, Veronica Mamie Doe, had accused Senator Zoe Pennue, a family member, of having a role in her mother’s death, something that has raised eyebrows among family members.
Drawing to the final funeral and subsequent burial of Nancy and reburial of Doe, posture of the family captured in photography at the opening of the Book of Condolence indicates that they remain divided and are not working to settle their differences, not even for the funeral.
The indifference appears to continue as Doe’s daughter, Veronica Mamie Doe, is annoyed with relatives over the demise of her mother, Nancy B. Doe.
Mamie, as she is widely known, had openly accused Senator Zoe Pennue, a close family member, of killing her mother, while turning down condolence gifts from former President George Manneh Weah, who is regarded as a son of slain President Samuel K. Doe.
At the signing of the Book of Condolence on Tuesday, this week at the Centennial Pavilion, in honor of the slain President Samuel K. Doe and former First Lady Nancy Doe, visible bitterness seemed to still exist between Veronica and Senator Pennue, as they mutely sat together in the row of seat reserved for the family.
The mood had since gone wide as the two looked not to be ready to settle their differences anytime soon, despite their broken moment.
Senator Pennue, has refused to comment on the rift, while Mamie Doe, drove off immediately at the close of the signing the Book of Condolence on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved Family, while describing the loss as a vacuum.
At the same time, former President George Weah described the late President Doe as “a historic figure” whose legacy remains a part of Liberia’s national journey.
The remains of the national couple have been taken to their native Grand Gedeh County for final funeral rites and burial, and reburial, respectively. Former President Doe was killed in 1990 by INPFL rebels led by late Senator Prince Yormie Johnson during the Liberian Civil War, while his widow, former First Lady Nancy B. Doe, died in Monrovia following a brief illness, according to family sources. Editing by Jonathan Browne
