Laxmiben Nathubhai Patel

A resident of Dartmouth, Massachusetts for the last 40 years, she moved from India to the United States in 1981. She was predeceased by her husband Nathubhai Lallubhai Patel (1922-1968). She is survived by three sons: Ramanlal (wife Sudhaben) Patel of Lyndonville, VT, Ishvarlal (wife Induben) Patel of Dartmouth, MA and Dhirubhai (wife Sudhaben) Patel of Irving, TX. She leaves behind 8 grandchildren: Nitin (wife Mina), Rushina (husband Sandip), Falguni (husband Daxesh), Toral (husband Manish), Kalpana (husband Shamir), Nirav, Amit (wife Neha) and Kavita. Her 11 adored great-grandchildren Misha, Meera, Maya, Dilan, Mahee, Malena, Arya, Sai, Dev, Mila, and Asha will all remember her for her playfulness and early morning birthday phone calls.

Laxmiben’s early life was spent in Gujarat, India. She was born in the village of Tavdi on May 5, 1923 to Dahyabhai Gokulbhai and Kashiben Dahyabhai Patel. She grew up in the village of Mota, as the eldest of 7 siblings all of whom she outlived. She then moved to the village of Ena around 1940 with her husband to begin her life as a devoted wife and mother. Her caring nature and love of family was exhibited early on as she began to take in several nieces and nephews to help with their upbringing and education. After the tragic passing of her husband at the young age of 46, she took on the additional responsibility of tending to the family cotton farms while transitioning her 3 sons into adulthood. As the matriarch of the family, she oversaw the arrival of 6 grandchildren in India before moving to the US. In the US, she continued her devotion to family by helping to care for 2 additional grandchildren as well as various extended family members that lived at her home in Massachusetts. Subsequently, as the rest of her family moved to the US in 1987, she spent much of the next decade going back and forth to India to help care for her disabled sister-in-law. In the mid 1990’s, she settled permanently in the US and split her time between her families’ homes in MA, VT, FL, and TX. During that time, she continued to care for her entire family and lovingly welcomed a new generation of great-grandchildren. The convenience of modern technology allowed her to stay in touch with her family as travel became less feasible (though she was able to travel well into her 90’s).

Having become a devotee of Brahma Kumaris in the later part of her life, Laxmiben dedicated much of her time to reading and meditation. Her roots in farming also led to a passion for gardening which became something of legend. She could always be found reading, in the garden, or on the phone with numerous extended family members. She loved watching Wheel of Fortune, animal shows, and Indian soap operas. Though she lost her eyesight over the past few years, she listened to the news avidly and kept up with current events. She was known for her extraordinary memory and would remember to call all of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren on their birthdays and anniversaries. Her family loved hearing stories from her early life and savored the wisdom and values that she imparted on them.

We will miss her dearly and will cherish the memories that we have with her as we carry on the legacy of her extraordinary life.