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Christopher McConnachie, Episcopal missionary in South Africa, dies at 70

Dr Christopher McConnachie, Episcopal missionary serving in the Transkei region of South Africa, died November 27 in Mthatha (Umtata). He was 70.

Chemotherapy for McConnachie's acute myeloid leukemia had compromised his immune system, and he was unable to fight off an infection.

McConnachie and his wife, Jennifer, became missionaries of the Episcopal Church in 1987 and have been serving in the Transkei, Diocese of Umtata, Anglican Church of Southern Africa.

Details regarding funeral arrangements are pending. McConnachie will be buried in Bedford, near the hospital where he served the people of the Transkei.

Born in Stirling, Scotland, McConnachie was a noted Orthopedic Surgeon at Bedford Orthopedic Hospital, near Mthatha. In 1981, he helped establish the African Medical Mission (AMM), based in Hendersonville, North Carolina, which led to his work in South Africa. He and Jennifer, a registered nurse, have lived in South Africa since 1984.

McConnachie was the winner of the 2002 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Humanitarian Award. In 2006, he and Jennifer were named "Officers of the Order of the British Empire" (OBE) in recognition of their long and valuable service in Africa. The nominations process included letters of recommendation, one of which came from Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Full story at Episcopal Life.