Feroze Minocher Patel

Feroze Patel, 72, of Frisco, Texas, passed from this life on March 5th, 2020 surrounded by his loving family. He was born in Mumbai, India on March 17th, 1947 to Minoo and Shirin Patel as the fourth of five children.

Feroze was well-known by friends, family, and colleagues as a man of great integrity and honor. He was highly intelligent, enterprising, and a respected member of both social and business communities around the world. Feroze had an amazing ability to relate to people of all backgrounds, offering valuable advice and somehow knowing exactly what others needed to improve and enrich their lives. His philanthropy and compassion for those less fortunate were widely known, and he took enormous pleasure in knowing he was able to help people and organizations in need. In many cases, he did so anonymously.

Feroze became a father figure and brother to so many people both inside and outside of his family. He considered all of his close friends as part of his own family, and he would go to great lengths to make sure they felt that way. He was always thinking of others before himself. He would lose sleep worrying over his friends or family that might be struggling with a difficult life situation and always sought ways to help them through it. His generosity and willingness to lend a helping hand were without limit.

He lived by his own simple yet profound philosophy on life that can be summed up in three simple sentences: Never intentionally hurt anyone; Try to make at least one person happy or smile every single day; Do some good in this world, make a difference in someone’s life, and leave this world in a better state than you found it. This effect of his philosophy will be felt in this world for generations. He has helped enrich, teach, guide, encourage, and simply brighten the lives of so many, whether with his generous wisdom or his famous sense of humor.

Feroze grew up in Mumbai and enjoyed a strong bond with his siblings and parents, sharing a particularly special bond with his loving mother, Shirin. As a child, Feroze enjoyed playing cricket and table tennis, listening to all styles of music, and excelling in school, even skipping grades in his early years.

We have all heard of the American Dream; of those who have come to the United States with next to nothing in their pocket, worked hard, and made a great life for themselves. Feroze embodied that very dream. Arriving in the United States with $20 and a full scholarship he received to the University of Kansas,he earned two masters degrees while supporting himself as a teaching assistant and even sold encyclopedias door-to-door. His stories of his first days in the United States are legendary, and it was truly a pleasure to hear him tell of his adventures in becoming acclimated to a completely new country and culture at such a young age. After graduating, he took his first job just to get some experience at Tranter in Wichita Falls, TX. What was originally going to be a 1-2 year stint ended up being a lifelong legacy spanning 47 years as he worked his way up from junior engineer to Executive Vice President of the company.

Feroze was happiest when he was with his friends and family, having a nice dinner together, telling stories, and enjoying company. He also loved music of all kinds, reading, watching world news, traveling, spending time near lakes and oceans, and playing golf. He spent over 50 years rooting for his beloved Kansas City Chiefs football team and was overjoyed to watch their Super Bowl victory this year. Despite living in the US for most of his life, he still loved his Indian heritage, food, culture, and people. His favorite movies of all time included Amadeus (which includes some of the music you are hearing today), Fiddler on the Roof, Phantom of the Opera, and even the Three Stooges.

Most of all….. he cherished every moment he could spent with the love of his life, his dearest Ruby. Although they met later in his life, they truly enjoyed a lifetime together. His happiest years were spent in her company and her loving arms.

Feroze was preceded in death by his parents, Minoo and Shirin Patel, his sister Nancy, and his beloved lifelong friends Frank and Linda. He is survived by his wife Ruby Patel of Frisco, son Zubin Patel and his wife Jessica Patel of Houston, step-daughter Jenna Armstrong and her partner Sammy Garza of Austin, step-son Erick and wife Shazneen of Mumbai, six grandchildren and one great grandchild.