The Foreign Service Journal, September 2022

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2022 85 If you would like us to include an obituary in In Memory, please send text to journal@afsa.org. Be sure to include the date, place and cause of death, as well as details of the individual’s Foreign Service career. Please place the name of the AFSA member to be memorialized in the subject line of your email. speakers with mental health concerns, as a project manager for the U.S. Presi- dent’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in Ethiopia, and as a U.S. embassy’s community liaison officer in Liberia and Timor-Leste. Ms. Scott also studied the Indian classical dance, Kathak, in Lucknow with one of India’s leading practitioners, and graduated at the top of her ulpan class in Israel, learning to speak and write Hebrew. After moving to Washington, D.C., in 2011, she worked at the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs in the office that repatriated missing U.S. children under the Hague Abduction Convention. Her final position, which began in 2014 and ended with retirement in 2021, was as a writer and editor in the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. As friends and family members recall, Ms. Scott marveled at the ways in which humans make sense of and build cultures around local conditions and realities. She appreciated humanity in all its shades, colors and belief systems, and this stunningly beautiful Earth, which she strove to protect. She was an avid recycler and com- poster (she had a compost bin at every house she lived in around the world). Gardening was an integral part of her life, and people from all over the world still appreciate the flowers and plants that she passed on as she left for the next post. She became a vegetarian in 1977, believing that better health and better care for our planet could be advanced by that lifestyle choice. She often reflected on her love for Russian art and culture, and was utterly devastated by the recent invasion of Ukraine. Pamela Scott is survived by her hus- band, Rick, of Madison, Wis.; her son, Ian, of Cincinnati, Ohio; her daughter, Fiona, of Le Center, Minn.; and five grandchildren. n Nimalka “Nimi” Wijesooriya , 71, a retired Senior Foreign Service officer with USAID, passed away on May 18, 2022, in Santa Fe, N.M. Born and raised in Sri Lanka, Mr. Wijesooriya attended St. Thomas’ Prepa- ratory School in Colombo, where he was known for his skill on the cricket pitch. He immigrated to the United States in 1969 and went on to obtain a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the Univer- sity of Minnesota, Duluth. He graduated in 1976 and joined USAID in 1980. Mr. Wijesooriya’s overseas assign- ments included the Philippines, Jordan, Egypt, the West Bank and Gaza, and Kenya. He worked diligently through- out his 20-year career with USAID to support transformational change within the agency as a leader in information technology, financial reporting and accounting reforms within the controller backstop. Colleagues say he served as a mentor and went beyond the confines of his position to improve the broader working environment, program effectiveness and development impact at each mission where he served. In the later stages of his career, he was often sought out to provide hands- on support to USAID missions to help improve overall effectiveness and institutional capacity through mission management assessments. Mr. Wijesooriya was also a beloved and important part of the community at each post where he and his wife, Suchinta, served. Through community theater and tennis, or in pursuit of their diverse interests at post, the couple cre- ated a network of friends that Mr. Wije- sooriya maintained throughout his life. In retirement, Mr. Wijesooriya became an avid golfer, playing daily at his nearby course in Santa Fe and befriending fellow players and management alike. During an outing just a month before his death, the course refused to allow him to pay for the round, saying, “Nimi is a local legend. He does not have to pay to play here ever.” Mr. Wijesooriya’s colleagues remem- ber him as humble, intrepid, good- humored and dedicated to the core val- ues of USAID. Known for his signature ponytail and eclectic sense of style, he enhanced the lives of everyone he met, everywhere he went. One co-worker described him as “the finest colleague and friend I ever had in my 40-plus years of working in the For- eign Service.” Another recalled: “Nimi respected all cultures and all peoples. In every issue that came up, Nimi’s special focus was on the diverse local employ- ees at the mission, showing care and kindness. I will never forget him.” Mr. Wijesooriya leaves behind a legacy of excellence in his work and many devoted friends and associates who remember him as “the kindest person we ever met.” He is survived by his wife, Suchinta; his daughter, Saman; his son, Ruvan; and his grandchild, Roshi. n