Earnest Amal Matueny passed away suddenly in Guymon, Oklahoma. He was born to a farming family in Yiiol District of Bahr al Ghazal, Sudan (now South Sudan). At the age of six, when war separated him from his home and family, Earnest walked more than 400 miles from Sudan to Ethiopia, along with approximately 26,000 other children. Earnest lived in a refugee camp in Ethiopia until the fall of the government in 1992, which forced the children to walk back to Sudan and then on to Kenya. Only 17,000 children survived the 1,000 mile trek.

Earnest lived in the Kakuma Camp in Kenya under the care of the United Nations, earning his High School diploma from the Kakuma Secondary School. During his time at Kakuma, he was baptized into the Christian faith in the Catholic tradition. He was relocated to the United States in December, 2000, where he was taken into foster care in Arizona. After earning an Associate Degree in Electrical Engineering from a community college, Earnest moved to Amarillo to work in the meat packing industry. After a brief time of employment in Dodge City, Kansas, Earnest relocated to Guymon, Oklahoma in 2014 to work at Seaboard Farms. At the time of his death, he resided at The Oaks of Mamre in Guymon.

Earnest loved learning and was an avid reader, when he wasn't engaged in his passion for working with computers and other electrical items. He is remembered as a friend to everyone he met.

He is survived by his parents, Raik Matueny and Nyanpieu Addling; two brothers and a sister, including Ajak Matueny and Mayen Matueny, all of Yiiol District, Bahr al Ghazal, South Sudan.

His friends and family would like to extend special thanks to Barbie Stewart, Director of The Oaks of Mamre; Kelly Miller of Henson-Novak Funeral Directors; the Rev. Deborah Hollifield and the congregation of First Presbyterian Church; the Rev. Gary Holdeman and the congregation of Victory Memorial United Methodist Church; Lt. Jason Bond and the Guymon Police Department; the greater Bahr al Ghazal community and other Sudanese communities who have shown compassion and support.

Graveside services will be conducted at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 6, 2014 at Elmurst Cemetery in Guymon, with the Reverend Deborah Hollifield officiating. A memorial service will follow at First Presbyterian Church, 310 NW 7th Street, Guymon, Oklahoma.

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