Generosity: incredibly so! giving, thinking of others, buying the thoughtful, right small gifts.

Good hearted: kind to people

Brave: tackling the unknown with full speed. No wonder she loved watching Little House on the Praire. She had a pioneer spirit to survive when faced with new challenges.

Keeping in touch: her phone book was the best, she checked in often. Especially with Shokko.

Determined and strong: always finding a way to make the trip to India to see her beloved family.

Meticulous: Bed made, hair combed, teeth brushed, and dressed every day.  

her jewellery choices to match her saris.

Creative: Tomato chutney was created by amma and loved by so many.  Biriyani was always accompanied by Ammom's tomato chutney and we sold it at Chacko's bakery. Her simple yet artsy flower arrangements.

Nourishing people: her food, her profession: selfishly it was her jams and chutneys that I loved, her ability to always keep the snack container full for my quick visits.

Talent: her embroidery of dresses, coaties and her smocking. tatting, making pin cushions from leftover mussel shells.

So many more words but the most meaningful words are 

Adoration and love for her family, especially her siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles, classmates, co-workers, friends and grandchildren and her sweet spot for Bodhi.

I am grateful for her deep faith, her ever enduring stamina, her vision that has kept our family and friends circle surrounded by love.

Amma I miss and love you.

Debra Sullivan

Beth Hope Duffield

 

 

Debbie- Hope this will do.  Several “older” RDs gave short examples, including Pat Stein, Judy Wegman, Betty Iorg.

 

You are in our thoughts.

 

Love,

 

Tanya and Siddarth

I called Mrs Mani to invite her and Dr Mani for dinner! And they came! Such a success! 

I also remember countless lessons on Indian culture as we traveled to India and Malaysia. I needed lots of guidance which I will forever be grateful to her. 

 

She had a silent presence that was strong and comforting. I remember her for the laughs and quick responds to stories that Mani would be telling. Her role

was to keep him on track and accurate. 

Rebekah was a fountain of knowledge and she would quietly share stories of fabric, clothing, art, and cuisine of many different cultures. She would share her talent with sewing projects that she prepared for others.

And lastly, I will always remember Rebekah’s endless supply of mixture, mango juice, tomato chutney, and veggies badjis readily available for any visit! I am so grateful to have known her and for the influences she has had on my life. 

 

With love,

Chris Crawford Compton

 

My earliest recollections of Appukkakochamma was when I stayed at their upstairs home in the Madras Christian College High School campus for the 8 months that my parents were in the United Kingdom on furlough in 1958. Kuruvilla Jacob (Babychayan) our Headmaster, always referred to as HM, wisely suggested to my parents that by doing so, this would allow another student to stay at the Hostel for the whole year. Sulo was my guide and solver of problems and I stayed in Chakko’s room when he was away at CMC Vellore. Appukkakochamma would visit from time to time since she was earning her Master’s and I believe interning in the Nutrition Department at Christian Medical College (CMC) Hospital, so my interactions with her were infrequent. I had attended her wedding to Ranjichayan and remember the large reception on the grounds at our school.

 

As a student at CMC, I saw her more often during the hospital campus rotation when the nutrition department with her retinue would head to the YWCA for the traditional mid-morning coffee and cutlet refreshments. She would stop and acknowledge me in passing. I recall that the State-of-the-Art Kitchen that she planned and established for the Dietary Department and as Director, demonstrated to President V.V. Giri at the inaugural ribbon cutting ceremony. 

 

Years later, after one of their trips to the USA, she invited me to a barbeque at their home which was a novel concept at the CMC campus. I remember a grill fashioned from a large clay pot [“Chatti”] covered by a simple metal grate and hamburgers cooked over hot coals which I was told was designed by her and implemented by Ranjichayan. Through this and other examples I learned that she had an extraordinary ability to organize and innovate, often with simplicity, in her domain of nutrition and food service. 

 

Many years later, when we were in California, while Ravi was living in Long Beach, she and he and sometimes she alone, would visit and reminisce about family which she regarded as her highest priority. She would recount stories of my mother since she was a much younger first cousin, shared the same Christian name and about their youth and young adulthood. Her organizational abilities were again demonstrated when we offered our home for Ravi and Tina’s pre-wedding dinner. She ordered the food, organized the display and seating with so much ease that we hardly noticed that all this was occurring with so little effort on our part. She excelled in this ability at Raghu and Julie’s wedding and also in setting up Rachel’s bakery in their city.

 

She was a smiling face at the annual CMC Alumni “Gathering Of The Clan or GOTC” meeting for years, always enquiring about ourselves, our children, updating us on news of her family, often interjected with baking and cooking tips. She volunteered for CMC wholeheartedly, served on the Vellore Board, supported Ranjichayan with the Kansas-Vellore Collaboration as well as in the setting up of the Modale House on campus. CMC was in their DNA and what they accomplished serves as a remarkable legacy. 

 

On a personal note, she would send cards to us at Christmas and on my birthdays (I marveled at her ability to remember) with updates on themselves as well as news on the Kunnenkeril family. In all my written communications, even in my younger days, I had addressed her as Apookakochamma. She never corrected me. I can see her smiling now knowing that I did get it right at last. 

 

We shall miss seeing her again but our loss is only a fraction of the loss and devastation for her family. May God give you all solace and support at this time of sadness and may she rest in peace.

 

Satish (Jacob) and Shirley Korula 

September 1. 2020