Tribute to Vanitaben Atmarambhai Patel

Chicago IL: Please join us in expressing our deepest condolences at this hour at the sad demise of our beloved Vanitaben Patel, Mother of Kamal Patel MD. Shri Vanitaben Patel passed away, on Tuesday, January 31, 2017 in Chicago at the age of 80 (August 21, 1936 to January 31, 2017) after 6 years of illness. Her final days were spent surrounded by family and friends. She will live for years to come in our hearts. May her Soul Rest in peace. Her funeral was on Friday, February 3rd, 2017 11:00 a.m. until time of cremation 1:00 p.m. at the Countryside Funeral Home and Crematory, 950 South Bartlett Rd , Bartlett , IL .

Vanitaben was an astonishing person, a true matriarch of her extended family possessing all the attributes of Matriarch Mother namely loving, caring, compassionate providing leadership, unconditional love, self-sacrifices to anyone who came in touch with her. Speaking in her memory, one of the close individuals who knew her well for years from India , summarized her life as religious, filled with compassion for all living life. Result of successful careers of her children and grandchildren can be clearly seen, due to her teaching of basic significance of hard work, moral values, honor, simplicity, and ethics.

She is survived by:
Dr Kamal Atmaram Patel (son), Chhayaben K Patel (daughter in law), Ashka K Patel (granddaughter), Ishika K Patel (granddaughter)
Kiran Atmaram Patel (son), Preetiben K Patel (daughter in law), Krushna K Patel (granddaughter), Karan K Patel (grandson)
Kunjlattaben C Patel (daughter), Chitrang S Patel (son in law), Phenil C Patel (grandson)

Kamal Patel, with a heavy heart said, “I was very close to my mother for the last seventeen years. These last 6 years were very crucial because of her health. She had recurrent hospitalization, recovering, and gradual declining in health. She was an inspirational figure for me. We always feel so much pain when we lose our parents, no matter how old or how sick our parents are. We are feeling that pain to day. “

“My mother was very spiritual, strong, kind, and a caring person. She would do anything for anyone. She had a heart of gold, the courage of a lion and love for everyone. Despite all illnesses and hospitalizations, she fought her illnesses and lived a good and positive life. I and my family were very fortunate to spend the last seventeen years with my father and her under the same roof. She cared and worried for everyone throughout her life. I remember back in India during our childhood that she always fed guests who just even stopped by at home. She had a big heart. She will do anything and everything to help the person that came to our door for help. She was very generous. She was a central pillar and trunk of our family tree which connected all of us and kept us united through good and bad times. Many ups and downs came in our family, but she never got discouraged or disappointed. She was a fighter and never believed in giving up. An example of this is when my father went blind thirty years ago; we were all very young and she always stood up for the struggles that we faced. She did everything to help our family survive. She inspired us and taught us family values, courage, love, honesty and sacrifice for each other and for everyone as well. Mother, I know you are listening today. You will always be in our hearts and we will remember every moment of our lives together. I know that you are with God. You are our angel and will watch us and guide us in the right path for our lives. May your soul rest in peace. I want to thank all of you for taking your time and coming here for the final tribute and giving us emotional support during this difficult time”.

During the last seventeen years, Dr. Kamal Patel participated in leadership role with the KPS (Kadva Patidar Samaj of Chicago ), FIA, and the Indian Medical Association of Illinois. Through these contributions; Dr. Kamal Patel has established himself as a prominent community leader. Besides this, he participated in lots of community health fare conventions. Dr. Kamal Patel went out of his way to physically attend and contribute to these conventions inside and outside of the state. He also assumed a leadership role in the Mix and Mingle organization that has sought to unite the second-generation kids through the processes of courtship and familiarizing with one another and getting married. During Ba and Atmarambhai's fiftieth anniversary celebration, which was celebrated in the Best Western hotel, the chief minister from Gujarat Mr. Keshubhai Patel attended this event to bless them.

The youngster speech: Krishna Patel (granddaughter), Karan Patel (grandson), Ishika Patel (granddaughter), Ashka Patel (granddaughter), Phenil Patel (grandson)
• “I am very fortunate to have spent lots of time with Ba and to have been able to serve her in her most difficult time when her health was declining.”
• “I remember that I used to download games for Ba on her IPad. But, when I used to ask for the charger, she would tell me that I could not use it. This confused me because her IPad was already on one-hundred percent!”
• “Everyone thinks that I am a favorite for Ba, but the truth is that all of the kids are Ba’s favorites.”
• “Ba was demanding at times. Every time she saw me, I had to paint her nails in a very dark pink color.”

Narendra Patel from Kadva Patidar Samaj, expressed his feelings about wanting to spend time with Ba in her last moments. “I could not spend time with her in her last moments. We are all gathered here today for Ba's last tribute. So, we will talk and pray today about Ba's achievements of her life. We will pray to God that Ba's soul will go in heaven and she will rest in peace. May God give courage to the family in this difficult time. During the time of seventeen years, Ba had served us with all her joy. Through this, the family was able to unite and live happily together with Ba. On behalf of Kadva Patidar Samaj of Chicago and Shree Umiya Dham Midwest, we humbly wish to pay the final tribute. “

During the time of India 's independence, Atmarambhai had taken a great role in the organization that was known as the "Freedom Fighters". He did this to maintain peace in India . In Hindi, the name of this organization is: "Swatantara Sena". He also took a big role in establishing Lion’s hospital and Dudhsagar dairy projects in Mehsana, Gujarat . He gave many amazing contributions to the welfare of India . However, he could not have done these things without the love and support of his lovely wife, Ba.

Vandana Jhingan (from TV Asia) did an excellent job as the master of ceremony during this difficult and emotional time. She shared her last 15 years of memories with the family. She explained the qualities of Ba. She expressed that “I was married to the Samsung phone and Android system; however, Ba was with the IPhone and the IPad. One time, I went to her home and she told me to look at her IPhone and she says: "Now its face time". She pressed some button and talked to her son in Wisconsin and she said: "Vandanabhen is at our house". At this age, she learned all the things about the high-tech gadgets. She was always kind and generous to me. From her pouch, she would always give me some snack to eat”.

In his special message, Kamal Patel MD mentioned, “Many of you attended the funeral for my mother Vanitaben and paid respect and glowing tribute to the departed soul. Our heartfelt thanks to the more than 300 people who attended her funeral services on Friday, February 3rd, 2017 11:00 a.m. until time of cremation 1:00 p.m. at the Countryside Funeral Home and Crematory, 950 South Bartlett Rd, Bartlett, IL, as well as many more who attended Basnu (Pratha Sabha), called, text messages and email to us. On behalf of large south Asian Diaspora including members of Asian Media USA Chicago, we like to express our condolences. We pray God Almighty to give courage and strength to bear such loss.