LETTER: A thank you to our community from Southgate Pharmacy

In 2010, when Food Pavilion closed its doors, our father, Lateef Olaniyan, published a heartfelt letter in the Columbia Basin Herald thanking the customers and community for their support of the pharmacy he operated. Sixteen years later, as another chapter closes, we felt it was only right to do the same on his behalf. 

When Lateef opened Southgate Pharmacy in 2010, it was a new venture and a significant leap of faith. It came with the uncertainty of wondering whether a community he had come to call home would embrace him. Moses Lake answered that question beautifully.

From the beginning, this community welcomed Lateef as a pharmacist, business owner, and friend. You gave him the opportunity to build something of his own, and in return, he devoted himself to serving the community that had welcomed him. He loved Moses Lake, and the kindness shown to him made it easy for him to call this place home. 

Lateef never viewed the people who came to his counter simply as customers, but as people he cared about and genuinely wanted to help. Sometimes that meant providing medication at no expense, lending an ear to someone who needed it, or simply remembering small details from your previous interactions. This level of care and refusal to be transactional eventually became the DNA of Southgate Pharmacy. This was the experience patients came to expect not just from Lateef, but from every member of the team. 

Over the years, he watched generations of families come through his doors. He saw children grow up and eventually bring families of their own to the counter. In the process, Southgate became a community of its own, built on familiarity, trust and genuine care for one another. 

Following Lateef’s passing in May, our family spent a great deal of time considering what the future of Southgate should look like. We explored every path, including continuing to operate independently and considering offers from interested buyers. While the pharmacy is healthy and loyal patients continue to choose us, the truth is that Southgate is deeply tied to who Lateef was. Continuing without him just didn’t feel right. 

With that in mind, we made the difficult decision to close Southgate Pharmacy and transition patient care to Walgreens. Walgreens made clear its commitment to supporting our patients and staff through the transition, which gave our family confidence in the path forward.

Southgate Pharmacy’s final day of operation will be Oct. 7, 2026, and beginning Oct. 8, prescriptions will be available at Walgreens Pharmacy at 200 E. Broadway Ave. We are committed to helping patients through our final day. Those who plan to continue their care at Walgreens do not need to take any action.

While it would be impossible to name everyone who helped make Southgate what it is today, there are a few people we especially want to thank.

Karen Byers, who worked alongside Lateef for more than 17 years and helped him open Southgate Pharmacy from the very beginning.

The Montemayor family, who gave Lateef the opportunity to open Southgate inside Lep-Re-Kon and showed extraordinary trust and care throughout a 16-year partnership.

Doug Rosser, our reliable relief pharmacist and friend, who delayed retirement and showed up time and again when Southgate needed him, helping keep the pharmacy running smoothly through some of its most difficult moments.

Tanya Valdez, Lateef’s key technician and in many ways, the unofficial co-owner. Her commitment to Southgate patients and our family has been extraordinary, and her impact on the pharmacy is truly immeasurable.

Every member of the Southgate team, past and present, who carried the standard of care forward and helped make the pharmacy what it became.

And most importantly, the people of Moses Lake. We can’t thank you enough for trusting Lateef and the Southgate team with your care for the past 16 years. Thank you for supporting a small, independent pharmacy and the people behind it. The kindness you have shown our family and the Southgate team, both over the years and especially through these past several months, will never be forgotten.

With heartfelt gratitude,

Michael and Hakeem Olaniyan

On behalf of the Olaniyan family and the Southgate Pharmacy team