Bhadresh Natubhai Patel, a beloved husband, brother, father, and grandfather, lost a brief but brave battle with pancreatic cancer and passed away surrounded by most of his family in Conroe, Texas, near Houston, on Aug. 17. He was 76.
Bhadresh, fondly known as BN, was born in Karamsad, his mother’s ancestral village in Gujarat, India, but he was raised in Nairobi, Kenya. He was the eldest—and only brother—of three siblings, Ila, Pragna (Aku), and Mala Patel, to whom he remained dedicated throughout his life.
His sisters recall his playful and often mischievous nature as a child. Though BN’s antics landed him in boarding school in India at 10 years old, he soon persuaded his parents to let him return to Nairobi to complete his education. He would often tell his children that while he loathed the school, his biggest gains during those formative years at the school were the lifelong friendships they yielded, as well as a sense of discipline and support that kept his family knitted together throughout his life.
After high school, BN joined a family enterprise, Delite Decorators. He successfully ran the commercial and residential painting business for more than 40 years, along with ventures dealing with auto spare parts. But along with developing his business focus and network, BN became a dedicated member of Nairobi’s Asian community.
An avid sportsman, BN throughout his life cultivated a passion for cricket. He was a founding member of several long-standing community initiatives, including Ngara Sports Club. As captain of the club’s cricket team, his skills as a “top spinner” became legendary. BN also served as trustee and vice chairman of Ngara Sports Club, as well as its longtime secretary. In addition, he served on the board of Kenya’s national cricket association during its early years. BN “would be well acquainted with all the happenings in the cricket world,” recalled community group Chh Gam Patidars’ Kenya.
He also nurtured broader social gatherings and was renowned for his big-batch cooking. His culinary ability was a “great art in cooking at karogas,” a Kenyan Asian tradition of outdoor feasts, the community group noted. However, the community most remembers his steadfast service to provide funeral organization, which provided consolation to countless bereaved families in Nairobi and elsewhere in Kenya. “Above all, his noble voluntary and honorary services at performing the last rites at funerals shall always remain treasured amongst the Kenyan communities,” the group said.
BN’s family says his unwavering dedication to community service stemmed from his deep-seated compassion and generosity. But they also remember him as a notable romantic who loved lyrical golden-age Bollywood classics—and cultivated a collection of thousands of LPs over his lifetime.
However, he had but one romance. While in high school, BN encountered Mrudula Patel (Lulu), who was then 15. Bucking expectations for an arranged marriage, as was conventional at the time, the young couple accepted each other as lifelong companions and married three years later, marking the start of a loving, cherished partnership that spanned five decades.
The couple, which celebrated their 51st anniversary last December, have three children: Binita Gupta, 50, Shilpan Patel, 49, and Akshay Patel, 42. The couple raised their children in Nairobi. After retirement, they dedicated their lives to ensuring the family’s security and well-being, traveling wherever their children were in Kenya, Botswana, Houston, Kansas, and Conroe. BN’s children—as well as their spouses, Sandeepkumar Gupta, Sonal Patel, and the late Malvika Patel—remember BN for his dedicated attention, mentorship, and constant love and support, including to help them in all capacity to bridge rough and busy periods in their lives.
BN and Lulu always said they had three homes because their hearts were with their cherished grandchildren, Simran and Shyamal Gupta, and Kai, Rei, Aanya, and Aayan Patel. BN’s grandchildren remember his constant, kind, and active companionship, and the concerted efforts he made to attend their sports events and ceremonies. He had an affectionate way of acknowledging their achievements, big and small. He would find a way to speak to every one of his six grandchildren every day. He was their tooth fairy, their sports coach, and their biggest cheerleader.
Because of his generous spirit, BN had countless connections across the world. His passing leaves a tremendous hole in the broad community he cultivated. The loss is especially profound for his family.
BN was overwhelmingly fond of his sisters and their husbands, Ashwin, Mayur, and the late Anil Patel, and his sister’s children, Chintu, Amisha, and Payal; Raja and Mona, and Rupa and Ken; Anik and Ami, and Amisha and Hiten. He was joyful to hear from and see his sisters’ families, particularly his nieces and nephews, and he was proud of them.
He also counted as immediate family his wife’s sister, Raksha, Raksha’s husband, Lalit, and their children—Amisha and Anders; Dimple and Ashish; and Sonal and Betsen—and six grandchildren. He was grateful for their enduring love and resolute companionship, which continued until the day of his last breath. Likewise, he cherished the families of his wife’s late two brothers Hemu and Mahesh. BN was a proud big brother to Hemu, Meenu, and Randy, and he adopted as his own their children, Anish, Sangita, Rajiv and Wade, and Zachary Patel, and their two grandchildren. He often spoke about the immeasurable love and comfort he felt with them at their home in Athens, Georgia. He also loved and respected Mahesh and Hema, and their children, Apicksha and Shrinal.
He also loved and deeply touched a more comprehensive set of relatives and friends in India, London, and Kenya. His friends remember him as a gentleman who lived and loved generously and was committed to everyone’s well-being. His memory lives on.
Please join us in celebrating his life on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2022, in Houston, Texas, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Facebook Livestream: https://www.facebook.com/FunerariaDelAngelNorth/
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