Prafull Chhaganbhai Patel, 77, passed quietly on Sunday, September 27, 2020, at Mayo Clinic Hospital, not far from his home in Jacksonville, Florida. Prafull was survived by his loving wife of fifty years, Bina Patel; his son, Parth Patel, of San Jose, California; and his daughter, Ulka Patel Shriver, son-in-law Trip Shriver, and granddaughter Sabina MacLachlan Patel Shriver, of Ponte Vedra Beach - all of whom were around him as he passed. Prafull was survived also by his sister, Kailasben Patel, of Cary, North Carolina, and eight nieces and nephews, the children of his sisters. He was predeceased by his parents, Chhaganbhai and Dahiben Patel, as well as his sisters Manjula, Sarla and Madhu Patel.
Prafull grew up in Ahmedabad, Gujrat, India. In 1966, he was invited to emigrate to the United States of America to study engineering, and he adventured to America with one of his oldest friends, Manoj Patel. Here, he earned his master’s of science in electrical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Prafull worked for IBM, Unisys, GE and ITT serving the U.S. Department of Defense to develop encryption technologies and design satellite memory systems through his retirement. Prafull was a proud American citizen.
In 1970, Prafull married Bina, and convinced her to join him on what he billed as an American adventure of a few years, till they’d be ready to settle down. She joined him in Newark, New Jersey, and holding her master’s of science in early childhood education, commenced her stateside career working for the underserved community’s children via the Head Start program. Prafull introduced his young bride to driving on highways, New York style pizza, and plen-air ice skating in cold American winters. They visited as many National Parks as they could, on both coasts. Prafull became a passionate fan of the Philadelphia Eagles.
This adventure never ended, and home became southeastern Pennsylvania, where they raised their family and lived for forty years. The family made many dear, lasting friends – beginning with Mita and Avijit Ghosh and Jill and Bill Chendorain in the 1970s, and continuing with so many others in the Royersford and Collegeville communities. Friends were the family they made for themselves, when so far from home. Ulka and Parth attended Perkiomen Valley public schools and graduated with honors from P.V. High in 1993 and 1997, respectively. Prafull and Bina supported their educational endeavors with great dedication, well beyond into universities and cities across America. As a dad, he usually came off strict and stern by day, but so generous in his sacrifices and care when looking back year by year. His children are who they are, in times calling for strength and steadiness, because of his distinct influence.
Prafull gave his best self to his granddaughter, Sabina. He and Bina retired to northeast Florida to keep close to her. Prafull always insisted on supporting Sabina’s dance education as her doting benefactor, and with Bina he was in attendance at every elementary school presentation, sporting event and art show as well as at countless dance recitals and competitions. Sabina remembers Grandpa fondly for introducing her to sitcoms and his sneaky tactics during spirited games of hide and seek tag. Even as a toddler, she always noticed when Grandpa withdrew from social conversations and supported him quietly.
In his final years, Prafull studied Vedanta spiritual philosophy, and came to live a more quiet life. However, around the time of his passing, Prafull has been honored by family and friends for his past endeavors in civics – for making it possible for so many nieces and nephews not only to emigrate to America but furthermore to thrive in their education, work and contributions back to society, for supporting organizations and campaigns to help reclaim fairness, justice, and public service in American governance. It was his hope that these humble endeavors will be meaningful to young generations of his family. We know they will.
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