FROM GRIEVING TO REMEMBERANCE It is with profound sadness that we announce that our dear Daisy passed away early morning (Caribbean time) on Saturday, 27 July 2013,at the untimely age of 53, in The Living Water Community Hospice, Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. She was under tender care and had the support of her loving family and friends in her long and brave struggle against breast cancer. Daisy was born in Dehra Dun on 18 April 1960 into a well-known Syrian Christian family of Kerala as the second of three daughters born to Thadeetharayil M. Thomas and Thankamma A. Varghese. After initial schooling at the Convent of Jesus & Mary in the beautiful, verdant town of Dehra Dun in the foothills of the Shivalik mountains, she completed her schooling at Sophia Convent, Meerut and went on to get a college education at St. Bede’s College, set in the lush surroundings of the Shimla Hills. Daisy had a charming and sunny disposition, brightened by a wide, engaging smile and an impish grin, and was always ready with a witty repartee. She was the apple of her parents’ eyes and had an independent and determined spirit, coupled with a generous and caring nature. She made friends easily and kept in touch by writing or calling often, taking an interest in their day-to-day activities and sharing their joys and sorrows, thereby bringing cheer into their lives with her fine wit and humour. Daisy had many talents, and she particularly enjoyed cooking and baking. She delighted the taste buds of her family and friends with several delicious dishes and exchanged exotic recipes with amateur and professional chefs worldwide. I remember with pleasure the delicious and beautifully decorated cupcakes that she and Siddiqa baked for us when we visited them in Trinidad in the summer of 2012, and the mouth-watering chocolate-walnut brownies that she baked for us when she visited us in Baroda in December 2012. Reminiscing on her early years at Dehra Dun… Daisy would often disappear for the entire afternoon after lunch on her return from school, and after a frantic search we would invariably find her perched on the highest bough of a guava or a mango tree, singing to herself at the top of her voice! Several times we have also caught her draping her red school blazer on an amaranth plant, talking to it, pretending to be its teacher!!Daisy had a ready smile for everyone, with eyes that always lit up with naughtiness. She was a lively and mischievous companion to have around, ready to climb the highest branch, see who could swing the highest and longest, squirrel away delicacies that we liked, and make the long treks down the hillside to “Robbers Cave” and up the river to the dam. There are also many happy memories of playing together in the litchi orchard of Alak and Pia’s grandmother’s lovely home in Dehra Dun, I remember with horror the sight of her standing for long hours in the scorching summer sun in Dehra Dun, and when asked to come in from the heat in order to avoid a sunstroke and to rest, she would quip that she was learning to be strong and to bear the heat, and also to bear the constant migraines that she suffered from! Was this an intuition of what was to come? Maybe this eccentric behaviour made her strong and taught her to cope with the pain of what lay ahead for her and made her a strong and determined woman! Later, in Shimla…I fondly remember our long treks to the Mall, the classes we bunked along with friends in order to go and sit in the dhaba to enjoy samosas, mo-mos, bread pakoras and tea, as also our walks to Church, and the many delicious lunches and dinners with Aunty Nishad and her lovely family. Roselyn, the youngest sibling with a 6 year age difference with Daisy, grew up as the little baby of the family, and was fondly referred to as Choti Behn by Daisy, who was very protective of her little sister. Roselyn remembers that Daisy loved listening to Western – Popular music on the radio all the time, and that she was always independent, insisting on getting dressed all by herself before going to school, and even combing her unruly curly locks all by herself! It was wonderful having Daisy and her family at Baroda for Roselyn’s wedding in July 1991. Our early days passed by so blissfully, and in our childhood and innocence we thought that life would always be so blithe and light-hearted. I can picture her standing by my side in the choir, singing in her clear, lilting voice; I remember the thrill of reading comics and Enid Blyton books clandestinely at nights under the quilt in the cold winter months of Dehra Dun; I recall our trips to Doon School for piano lessons by Aunty Rita Hensman. Daisy had a fine mind and did well in school and college; she wrote well and could have gone on to take up a challenging career in journalism, which she wanted to. Our carefree years of childhood and youth passed by and we went on our different ways, got married, and had children… Daisy took off for the far away West Indies to marry Imtiaz Ali, a smart businessman who was a long standing pen-pal and friend of hers. There she brought up two fine children, Saeed and Siddiqa, whom she loved to distraction. With the same generosity of spirit that she always displayed, and with her deep concern and care for those around her, she took great pride in helping Imtiaz with his business, managed her home efficiently, and took good care of her ailing mother-in-law. Daisy leaves behind her grieving husband Imtiaz, who constantly and lovingly catered to her needs through the very end, and her devastated children, Saeed and Siddiqa, as well as others in the family. She is survived by her sorrowing mother, her older sister Alice, and her younger sister Roselyn. Her brothers-in-law Jeyakumar and Noel, her niece Nivédita, and her nephews Ronell and Nohan join together in expressing their heartfelt sympathy. She will be lovingly remembered by her childhood friend Alak (Alaknanda), as well as by her many friends from Bede’s: Mary, Sweety, Ratty, Louisa, Vanessa, Vicky, Susan, Sunita, Nimmi, Kusum, Vandy, Sushmita, Kiran, Rumma, Tanuja, Gitipriya, Mackey, she will also be fondly remembered by Ishan, Anil, Shirney, Pia, Luba, Manish, Pallavi, Kamu and many, many other friends …the list is long! We express our sincere gratitude to the sisters, doctors and staff of Living Water Community Hospice for ministering with love and care to alleviate Daisy’s pain and suffering and being with her till she passed away to be with her Creator. We are indeed deeply grateful to you, dear sisters! Finally, we thank our family– our cousins Ammini ammama and Jose achayan, Kunjammama, Bobby and Ramini, Jose, Benny and Rani – and close friends Colonel and Mrs. George, Ketoki, Victoria and Noel, Rita and Joy, Kshama, Rachel, Jenny, Krupa and Bijal. We are grateful to the Pastor, friends and Members of St. James Anglican Church, Baroda, and the prayer groups that upheld Daisy and the family and shared our grief. We also thank Rev Biju - Pastor of the Marthoma Church in Auckland, Roselyn and Noel’s friends in New Zealand, and their friends (including Noel’s family) around the world for their prayers and support. We shall surely meet again, dear Daisy, and till we all meet again in the Promised Land where there will be no more suffering and pain and we awaken to a new sunrise… till then, may you rest in peace in God’s presence! - Your loving sisters Alice Anugraham & Roselyn Hensman, on behalf of your grieving family.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Jul 2013 10:17:34 +0000
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