Joginder Kaur Gill, our sweet “Mummy Ji,” died surrounded by all her children and grandchildren at the age of 81 on Friday night.

Mummy Ji was born on October 22, 1929 to Hardial Singh and Pritam Kaur in Patiala in Punjab, British India.  She married Captain Gurdial Singh Gill on October 10, 1945 (pictured), raised her family, and eventually followed them to Clovis, CA.  Mummy Ji lived a disciplined and spiritual life.  She began and ended her day with God’s Name, read the newspaper daily, and sang prayers in the classical Sikh tradition.  She cooked for her family, counseled her children, and helped raise all her grandchildren, who adored her gentle smile and spontaneous laughter.  Mummy Ji deeply loved her siblings in India, especially her younger sister Dev.  In her final moments, the family pressed the phone to Mummy Ji’s ear, and from halfway around the world, Dev told her, “You have been a sister and mother to me.  Be strong.  Say it with me, ‘Waheguru, Waheguru’ [God’s Name].”  Mummy Ji left this life with her family reciting prayers by her side.

Mummy Ji is survived by her three children and their spouses: Manjit and Jasbir Sandhu, Jagmit and Sukhwinder Gill, and Dolly and Judge Brar.  She will always be remembered by her grandchildren Jyoti, Neetu, Valarie, Sanjeev, Amandeep, Ginny, and Simran, and her great-grandson Harry.  The family thanks the doctors and nurses at Saint Agnes Hospital who took care of her in her last days.

Funeral services will be held on Tuesday, December 14, 2010 at 11AM at the Chapel of the Light, 1620 West Belmont Avenue in Fresno, California. In lieu of flowers, please send notes and wishes for the family to her daughter Dolly: dollykbrar [at] gmail.com.