Vrajbihariroy Shantilal Pandya

Remembered With Love

Peacefully on January 17, 2024, Vrajbihariroy (Roy) Pandya, our beloved patriarch, father, grandfather and great grandfather passed away at the age of 94 with family by his side.

Vrajbihariroy was born in Sagana, Kenya on March 29, 1929. He was the son of Shantilal Pandya and Savitagauri Vyas and lived in Kenya, India, and Canada. He lived a long, healthy and happy life and was able to enjoy watching three generations of his family flourish.

At the age of 5, Dad went to Surat, India to attend Gurukul Boarding School. As a young adult he was actively involved in the struggle for India’s Independence and at one of the many rallies he attended he was fortunate enough to meet and put a garland around Mahatma Gandhi.

Our father and mother, Annapurna celebrated 73 years of marriage until her passing in 2020.

After their wedding in India, they lived in Kenya where they helped raise Dad’s younger siblings and later their own six children. Dad was a proud, devoted and caring father who ensured that each of us were happily settled and successful. His life motto was, “Be Happy, Healthy and Keep Smiling!”

Dad briefly worked for the East African Railways and then embarked on his entrepreneurial journey as a partner in Pathak Sweet Mart and Espresso Coffee House. In 1967, Dad moved to Canada and the family including his father settled in Saskatoon where they bought Paris Cafe Restaurant. They later opened Roy’s Grocery Store where Indian groceries were available for the growing South Asian community.

In 1974, our father moved his family to Thompson, Manitoba where he worked at INCO for several years until he retired and moved to Winnipeg. Dad was involved with numerous organizations including Padam Bhartiya Cultural Club, Lions Club, Thompson Heritage Museum and the Multicultural Center to name a few. The Mayor of Thompson stated upon hearing of his passing that Dad was one of the founding fathers of the City and had a passion to make Thompson a better place for everyone. Our father was awarded multiple honours in Thompson including the Melvin Jones Fellow award from Lions International.

Our father was a strong community and spiritual minded leader. He was one of the founders of the Shiv Mandir in Kisumu as well as the Saskatoon Shri Laxmi Narayan Temple and left a beautiful legacy where one can witness his vision of helping people to this day. He was involved in organizing and coordinating a monthly gathering of East Indian people of all faiths in Thompson.

Our father will sadly be missed dearly by his children Jyotsna (Larry) Custead, Purnima (Michael) Lindsay, Shailesh (Daksha) Pandya, Kamalesh (Yogini) Pandya, Hasmita (Mitesh) Trivedi, Manisha (Naishad) Vyas, his grandchildren Savita(Oliver), Nijel(Kelly), Anil, Anand(Nandita), Amar(Sonali), Prakash, Tejas, Sonal(Jasdeep), Shivani, Priyanka, Karisma, and great-grandchildren Neena, Jasper, Thomas, Jiya and Kiara who adored, cherished and loved him dearly. Also in grief are his numerous relatives and friends all over Canada, India, England, Kenya and around the world.

Funeral Services will be held on Sunday, January 21, 2024 at 11:30am (CST). Those who wish to join virtually can select "join livestream" below. Following the service there will be a Shanti Path at 4pm at the Hindu Temple & Dr. Raj Pandey Hindu Center, 999 St Anne's Rd, Winnipeg

In lieu of flowers, donations in the memory of our dear Dad may be made to the Hindu Society of Manitoba or a charity of your choice.

Om Shanti Shanti Om