Lilavati Joshi

Lilavati Joshi, loving wife of Upendra Joshi and mother of two daughters, passed away in her home surrounded by family on Monday, September 21, 2020 at the age of 86.

Lilavati was born on April 16, 1934 in Valad Village in Gujarat, India to Manilal and Dahiben Tripathi. She married Upendra Joshi when she was 16 years old and he was 18 years old on April 27, 1951. After the initial years of their marriage in India, they lived in Edinburgh, Scotland. As Upendra studied mining engineering, Lilavati supported her family raising their two daughters, Mandakini and Leena. They then returned to India until their final move to the United States in 1991.

Lilavati was a very warm and social person with a love for connecting with those around her. Despite a lack of higher education, she had a knack for learning different languages and was fluent in several languages including Hindi, Marwari, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi, and English. A firm believer in God, she started every morning with a pooja, prayed and was thankful before each meal, and ended every evening before bed with prayer. She was an excellent cook who took joy in feeding and caring for her loved ones.

She was a deeply devoted grandmother. When living in India, she helped raise her two grandsons, Siddharth and Sumit. Since 1991, she and Upendra lived with Leena and her family and helped raise her two granddaughters, Shivani and Veena.

She was married to her husband Upendra for 69 years. They were truly soulmates spending their days in a happy and loving union, supporting each other through all the ups and downs of life. They defined the real meaning of love and partnership for those around them.

She is survived by her loving husband Upendra, her daughter Leena and son-in-law Vikram, her late daughter Mandakini’s husband Narayan, grandchildren Siddharth and his wife Rajshri, Sumit and his wife Swarnali, Shivani and her husband Kiran, and Veena. As well as her great-grandson Shreyan and great-granddaughter Sahana.

Visitation will be held Wednesday, September 23, 2020 from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. with cremation rite to follow at Davenport Family Funeral Home and Crematory, 941 S Old Rand Rd, Lake Zurich, IL 60047.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Lilavati’s memory for charity to  Shivramveeleena.