Obituary: Patel, Janak R.

A life of service…

Janak R. Patel passed away on Thursday, October 28th, 2021. He was working in the Emergency Room at Cambridge, Ohio when he suffered sudden death. Several of the ER nurses noted how great a day they had as he was happily caring for patients during the day without any complaints, and then unfortunately he was found down and unable to be resuscitated.

Janak was born on October 31st, 1965, in Kampala, Uganda to Raman and Indu Patel. As a boy he was curious and playful, often asking his father for piggyback rides. He was also the first-born child of 7 siblings on his mother’s side and would be the oldest of eleven cousins, a role he cherished. When he was 5 years old, he was disappointed to find that the sister he was told was coming from his parents, turned out to be a younger brother, Manesh. However, from then on, he served as a protector, champion, and hero for his younger brother from grade school and throughout life. With the ascension of Idi Amin in Uganda, the family immigrated to Canada and then South Georgia in the US. There he went to High School in Statesboro, Georgia where he was class President, before going to the University of Georgia for college and Medical School. He was a lifelong Bulldog fan.

After medical school, he met and married the love of his life, Rupal. They moved to West Virginia, initially Wheeling and then Parkersburg, for Janak to start his medical practice. In WV, he came to enjoy the outdoors and his dogs Hershey, Riley, Lucky, Murphy, and Bear. Over the years they had three children, Nilum (22), Kiran (20), and Simi (9). As a father, he often did his kids’ laundry without being asked. He poured all the love in his heart into each of his kids’ lives. He always made an effort to get involved in each of his kids’ activities. At times, he took the role of friend and ‘partner in crime’ for his children. He was constantly bringing laughter to his family.

He spent his free time attempting to master the culinary arts and GTA 5, drawing, bird watching, and helping his family with everything.

Throughout his life, he was tireless in his service to others including his patients. He humbly worked, did not seek, or want praise, and found the joy of being in the moment, playing pranks and games, and most importantly being with his family.

The family is devastated by the sudden loss of such a loving and selfless family member. He was looking forward to taking Simi trick-or-treating on Halloween, his 56th birthday. The family is grateful for all the support from the community and will reach out with any needs. A small memorial ceremony is being planned for his immediate family which includes his father who is immunocompromised. Thank you for keeping our family in your thoughts and prayers. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the University of Georgia alumni association focused on student scholarships. https://give.uga.edu/story/alumni-association/#giving-priorities

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.LeavittFuneralHome.com