Dhanalakshmi Kunjithapatham

Dhanalakshmi  Kunjithapatham (née Venkataraman), lived a remarkable 102 years and 55 days before attaining eternal peace on September 18, 2025, at her home in Jersey City, New Jersey, surrounded by love and devotion.

Born on July 27, 1923, in Madurai City, Tamil Nadu, India, she was the beloved daughter of P. V. Venkataraman and P.S. Veeralakshmi. At age 16, she entered into an arranged marriage on July 4, 1939, with V. Kunjithapatham, who served as Personal Assistant to the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court. Together they built a family grounded in tradition, education, and faith. He passed away on November 11, 2009, in New York at the age of 97.

A devoted homemaker, she raised one daughter and three sons, dedicating her life to nurturing her children while supporting many others in their growth. She lived in Chennai for much of her married life before immigrating to the United States. In 1975, she traveled to Michigan to assist her daughter during childbirth, sacrificing nearly a year apart from her husband to help her children settle abroad. She became a permanent resident and later a naturalized U.S. citizen on May 5, 1989, along with her husband. Over the decades, she lived in Michigan, Ohio, California, Indiana, Florida, New York, and eventually settled in Jersey City about five years ago.

She was fluent in several languages—Tamil (her mother tongue), Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and English. Even in later years, she took adult education classes to improve her English writing and speaking.

Dhanalakshmi was deeply rooted in her Hindu faith and lived as a pure vegetarian throughout her life. Her favorite foods included idly, dosa, vadai, pappads, and Indian sweets. She delighted her family with her gentle humor, often insisting she could not possibly be 100, 101, or 102, responding with “No way!”

She was an accomplished Carnatic singer and musician, playing the veena, tambura, piano, keyboard, and violin. She once acted as Naradha in her daughter’s Ramayana school play, receiving a standing ovation. She also led bhajans, chanted Sanskrit slokas, and celebrated both Indian and American festivals. She encouraged her granddaughters in their artistic pursuits, inspiring them to become globally recognized performers and teachers.

She will be remembered for her sweet bright smile, gentle touch, blessing hands, devotional songs, and vibrant energy. She always placed others before herself, often asking if everyone had eaten before she would accept food. She knew her time was nearing and faced her departure with dignity, grace, and spiritual readiness.

She is survived by her loving daughter Dr. Rajani Thangavelu, sons K. Suresh and Kumar Kunjithapatham, daughters-in-law Bharathi Ramesh and Uma Suresh; grandchildren Thara “Shakti Thara” Thangavelu, Geetha Sridhar, Sukanya Ramesh, Priya Ramesh, and Navin Kumar; and great-grandchildren Sahanav Ramesh, Sandhya Sridhar, and Vimarsha Ramesh.

She is also survived by her younger sister’s daughter Neela Susheel Kumar, granddaughters Nisha Kumar and Nicky Roy, their families, as well as her nephews Sundar, Mohan, Sivakumar, and extended relatives from her maternal and paternal lineages.

She was predeceased by her parents; her sister Anandalakshmi; her brother P. V. Venkateswaran; her beloved husband V. Kunjithapatham; her eldest son Ramesh; her grandson Sumanth Suresh; and her son-in-law Thangavelu Chelliah.

Her daughter, Rajani, and family express heartfelt thanks for the love and care shown by relatives and friends, near and abroad, especially in the grand celebrations of her 101st and 102nd birthdays. Special gratitude is extended to the medical staff, home health aides, and hospice team for their compassionate care. The family also remembers with affection their loyal dog, Coco, who kept vigil by her side until her final moment. Rajani thanks her daughter for her steadfast support, Kumar for his delicious cooking, and Suresh for assisting with her final journey. Friends Angel, Tejaswani, and Darryl are remembered for their constant readiness to help.

These parting words embody her genuinely beautiful essence:
“I have love for myself and all other human beings in my heart, where it will remain actively engaged in bringing peace, harmony, love, happiness, and prosperity into the life of every man, woman, and child now alive on earth.” "I am always with you".

Family and friends are invited to honor Dhanalakshmi’s life on Tuesday, September 23, 2025 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM (Viewing 12:00 PM to 12:30 PM; Puja and Prayers 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM) at Riotto Funeral Home & Cremation Company (For GPS Navigation, it is best to use our parking lot address: 14 Stagg Street, Jersey City, NJ 07306). Cremation will follow at Rosedale Cemetery, 408 Orange Rd., Montclair, NJ 07042.