Anita Talwani

Born in 1945 in Lahore and raised in Punjab, India, Anita attended Sacred Heart College in Dalhousie and completed her Masters of Arts in English at Punjab University in Chandigarh. She married her husband, Pradeep, in 1967 and spent her first year of marriage living in tents in the Rajasthan desert while Pradeep worked in oil exploration.

Their adventure continued as she traveled halfway across the world with an 8-month-old son, Rohit, to join Pradeep in Palo Alto, CA on the campus of Stanford University where their love for college football was born. Five years later, the family drove across the country in a Ford Maverick with another infant, Radhika, in tow to begin their life in Columbia, SC.

Anita loved to cook and entertain, always had a smile on her face, stayed current on politics and pop culture and had a penchant for remembering and delivering a well-timed joke. She had a lifelong connection with the children who came into her life and indulged them all, especially her three grandchildren. Always on a quest to master new hobbies, she perfected a deceptive return in tennis, made beautiful art from pottery to paintings, and created thoughtful, memorable scrapbooks for her children.

Anita worked in elementary schools as both a teacher’s aide and database specialist for three decades and won the Database Specialist of the Year. After she retired, she volunteered for both Harvest Hope Food Bank and Meals on Wheels.

Preceded in death by her parents, Shoto and Savitri Puri and her sister, Sarita Ohri, Anita is survived by her husband of 53 years, Pradeep Talwani; her son, Rohit Talwani; her daughter, Radhika Talwani Bombard; her daughter-in-law, Laura Galloway; her son-in-law, Tate Bombard; her grandsons Pierce Talwani Bombard, Cy Gabriel Bombard and Roan Kelley Bombard; her brother, Virinder Puri; several adoring nieces and nephews; and numerous loving, lifelong friends on both coasts.

Anita will be remembered for her infectious laugh, joy for life, love of others, dedication to God, generous heart and empathy for the less fortunate.

Memorial gifts may be made to Harvest Hope Food Bank, 2220 Shop Road, Columbia, SC 29201.