Shrewsbury – Dr. Sarla Patel, 78, died at home Wednesday, April 11, 2012, following an extended struggle with pulmonary fibrosis.
She leaves her beloved husband, Choudhary Balwan Singh Patel; her two loving daughters, Sangeeta Doshi and her husband. Nilesh, and Noopur Kapadia and her husband, Anand; her four sisters, Santosh Arora, Neena Sawe, Veena Khanna, and Rita Joshi; her brother, Sanjay Khanna; her grandchildren, Shailen, Vishal, Kabir, Shaan, Rana, Aashna, Jai, Palbha, Sureena, Rohin, and Riddhima; and her nephews and nieces, Neha, Sameer, Shraddha, Shruti, Aastha, and Aakansha.
She was born 1934 in Quetta, India, the daughter of the late Prakash N. and Raj Khanna.
Dr. Patel worked for 27 years with the Department of Mental Health at the Worcester State Hospital and the UMass Medical School, Worcester, where she retired as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry in 2001.
Prior to coming to the United States in 1968, Dr. Patel specialized in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology in India.
She enjoyed gardening, reading in disciplines of philosophy and spirituality, traveling, the ocean, and nature. Most of all, she loved spending time with her family and especially her grandchildren.
She was a longtime member of the India Society of Worcester, where she served as a member and chairperson of its crisis intervention committee. She also served for several years as co-chair of the “Humrahee” sub-committee and the senior citizens group, and worked in the area of domestic violence.
A cremation service will be held Friday, April 13, promptly at 11 a.m., in the Ellen Rogers Kennedy Chapel of the Rural Cemetery Crematory, 180 Grove St., Worcester. A memorial service honoring Dr. Patel's life will be held Saturday, April 14, at 10:30 a.m., at the India Society of Worcester, 152 Main St., Shrewsbury.
In lieu of flowers, memorials remembrances may be sent to the Perkins School for the Blind, 175 North Beacon St., Watertown, MA 02472 or to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, 811 West Evergreen Ave., Suite 204, Chicago, IL 60642.
For directions or to leave a message of condolence for the Patel family, visit www.brittonfuneralhomes.com.
