Kuol Acuek, former “Lost Boy” and Lincoln resident, passes away

Kuol Acuek, a former “Lost Boy” from Sudan who lived at Codman Community Farms in Lincoln for a time, died on June 15 after a three-year battle with cancer. At the time of his death, he was at a refugee camp in Uganda with his father and brother by his side.

Born in Bor, Sudan, Kuol was among 20,000 boys who were displaced or orphaned seeking refuge from the civil war in that country. In 1989, at the age of 7, Kuol was separated from his family and travelled over a month by foot from his village to Ethiopia. He lived in a refugee camp in Ethiopia for two years when in 1991, the war forced the Lost Boys to flee once again to Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. Kuol described living in the refugee camp as “very very hard.” There was little food and the camp was extremely violent.

He lived there for almost ten years before coming to the United States. first to Roxbury and then to Lincoln. He lived at Codman Farm and attended Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School (LSRHS). While at L-S, he was a soccer star and helped bring the soccer team to the state championship. Kuol was loved by his peers and teachers alike. He graduated in 2005 and attended Lasell University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in sports management in 2009. He lived in Chelsea after college and worked at the Langham Hotel.

Kuol was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 2017. He was very grateful to the medical professionals at Dana Farber, Boston Medical Center, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and various rehabilitation centers that cared for him during his illness. In March 2020, he went to Uganda to be with his wife’s family and his father and brother. Although he had every intention of returning home to Boston, he became gravely ill and died on June 15.

Kuol is survived by his wife of three years, Achol Tavisa, and his one-year-old daughter Aliee. Donations in his memory may be made to the preschool and education scholarship fund for his daughter. Donations can be sent to the South Sudanese Enrichment for Families, PO Box 492, Lincoln, MA 01773.

There will be a virtual funeral on Sunday, June 28, 2020 at 5p.m. on Zoom. If you would like to attend, please send an email to davidchristenfeld05@gmail.com and you will be sent the link.