Dearest Ammama of mine,

You’ve been a blessing to me in so many ways. I feel privileged to have spent most of my growing up years with you.

Watching you grow old, I never thought you’d influence my life so much. Your disposition towards life, your pure heart, your versatility, your resilience, your discipline has made a permanent impact on my life.

I always wondered why am like this in certain ways and I realise you have silently instilled these qualities in me gradually.

You taught me how to forgive and forget, you taught me how to love without expecting anything back in return, you taught me how to be content with whatever I have, you taught me how to be generous.

Thank you for silently yet significantly influencing my life. I will always cherish the time I have spent with you.

I’m sorry I didn’t come and visit you often.
It was extremely difficult for me to see you grow frail and weak and accept that you're getting older.

However, I sincerely thank god for giving you a blessed, favoured and a long life.

I tell myself your with Jesus enjoying eternity every time I miss you dearly.

I love you Rathnamma.

Until I see you again.

Love,
Dingy.

Dear nayanamma, yesterday we were all able to come together online as a family on your birthday to celebrate your life. I wasn’t able to spend more than a few weeks at a time with you while growing up, but the memories I have all reflect the qualities those who knew you best said of you. They spoke of your kindness, your grace, your patience, your sweetness. I remember when you came to stay with us for two months in the US and I don’t have a single memory of you in which you were anything but gentle. You were always the voice of reason during bad moods. I remember your thoughtful, watchful ways.

I remember what it feels like to hug you, your small soft frame in my arms, your smell of hair oil and sandalwood soap. I remember how it felt to put your small, wrinkled, face between both my hands during our visits to you in India, trying to soothe your incessant worrying about our food, our naps, our comings and goings, with a laugh. I remember how capable you were for so long. I remember the way your face looked when you slept, your mouth slightly open and your eyebrows slightly raised. I remember how strong your teeth were, chewing through bones of tasty mutton curry. You were always so clean. I remember you calling me “papa” in so many different tones, cautious waking me up, curious asking a question, annoyed waking me up.

I will never forget the sound of your voice I heard on a tape made long ago, of you singing me songs as a baby. Your sweet voice singing chanda mama. I listened to so many stories yesterday of your kindness, your graciousness, your generosity of time, the goodness of your heart. I am so glad I got to witness some of it, with the limited time we had. Thank you for being a rock for so many. Thank you for your grace, and your grit. Thank you for raising my father and giving him his sensitive heart. Thank you for leaving everyone with a legacy of gentleness and strength. I love you and hold who you were to so many close to my heart.

Wishing you Happy Birthday Mummy.
Enjoy with The Lord and rest in eternal peace.
Miss you Mummy.

Love you Mummy.
Samson

Dear nama,

May your soul Rest In Peace and may you be happy with the Lord in heaven. You have so many people down her who will always love and cherish you.

Love,
Caroline B.

Dear Mummy,

Being your son is my very first and greatest blessing. You loved me unconditionally. You taught me to believe in myself and feel good about who I am. You never wished that I were different in any way. You never compared me to anyone else. You delighted in every accomplishment of mine - little or big. You were genuinely proud of me and were always generous with your appreciation and praise.

Although I was very shy and aloof during my childhood, your faith in me helped me through the struggles and challenges that seemed impossible to face. Once I left home to stay in hostels, I was spatially challenged, lacked organizational skills, was made fun of, labeled, and judged harshly. It was your love, acceptance, and faith that sustained me. I am thankful for your wisdom, and for taking the time to teach me all that was essential. Because of your love, care, and faithful prayers, I grew up to be a confident person. For more than half of my career, I held positions that were people-facing! My most passionate hobbies require me to perform in front of large audiences. My transformation is an answer to your sincere prayers. Following your examples, I took many a leap of faith in my life. You taught me that contentment and happiness are a choice.

I remember you encouraged us to memorize entire chapters from the Telugu Bible: Psalm 1, Psalm 23, Psalm 46, Psalm 91, Isaiah 53, Matthew 5, 1 Corinthians 13, the Ten Commandments from Exodus 20, the passage from Joshua 1, John 3:16 and many more...

The worship songs you taught us nurtured musical talents in us. I can hear you singing melodious songs in your sweet voice, "Devakumaara, deenopakaara", "Yesunaadha Katha Sudhaarasa", "Prarthana vinedi Paavanudaa", "Prarthana jeevithame viswasa Prarthana jeevithame", and many classical/semi-classical tunes such as "Koniyada tharame ninu", "Bhoomi, daani jeevamu", "Kaanukalandukonu maa thandri", "Dashama bhaagamulanu", and many more.

I remember the times you and dad used to laugh heartily when we cracked jokes. Your sense of humor helped us learn to laugh at ourselves and enjoy life even when things were tough.

I am thankful for the rich legacy that you left for us - trust in God, faith, worship, praise, prayer, diligence, humility, and selflessness. The greatest gift that I can give to my children Cheryl and Meryl is the example of your life.

The dignity with which you handled the most difficult phases of your life, the quiet resilience, and the inner strength you have shown throughout your life will motivate us to be strong.

You have joined the heavenly choir. You are in a better place. Our comfort is in the assurances from Isaiah 57:2, John 11:25, John 14: 1-3, and 1 Thess 4: 14-18

I will miss you every single day of my life.

Rest in eternal peace, Mummy!

Love,

~Chitty

Tributes by Samson David Pereji

MUMMY NEEVU DHANYURAALAVAMMA

Mummy, you were the truest, dearest, and more than a mother to us.
You were the precious gift from GOD to us, so much beauty, grace, love, and patience you possessed.

You touched our hearts in so many ways, your strength, smile even on the darkest days made us realize that we have an angel beside and among us.

When we lost Dad, you stood alone for 20 years and guided us, GOD alone knows the inner strength you had to come through of all the issues we faced and stood with all your children, siblings, and near and dear ones.
This is because you had Complete trust in GOD and you were praying to God silently for all of us.

Mummy, you gave us your children all that we needed to come up in our lives from our birth and we are standing and living our lives because of your supreme sacrifices, love, perseverance, patience, and Prayers.

Whatever superlatives we use to describe you and praise you is not enough. We thank you for the lives you have given us, for your love which you have bestowed upon us, and for the continuous prayers which you have prayed for us. We can never get a Mother like you, never.

We thank GOD for your life on this earth and thank hIM for taking you into HIS kingdom and making you sit in heavenly places and enjoy HIS presence.

"REST IN ETERNAL PEACE, MUMMY"
Thank you for everything Mummy.
Love you forever.
~Samson

I have known aunty the last 35+ years as an affectionate person who always had smile on her face. Her calmness in a situation brought a sense of peace and a motherly presence. Behind her quietness was a determined individual with a sense of purpose in life!

She prayed for all others including me, and that was source of an assurance that someone is watching over.

Glad to know of her musical talent and her excellent professional career. I thank God for placing such a wonderful person amongst us and blessing, enriching us all. All the glory to Him!

Sudheer Sagar

Pereji Rathnamma David, is our Pedda-maenathamma; Athamma is eldest sister of my father Kamatam Kanthaiah, she is a beautiful flower plucked from the flower bed to be a sweet-smelling savour in the presence of our creator.

But it is hard to come into terms with the fact that we will never hear from you again. Sweet memories fill me anytime I remember the advice. you found pleasure in sharing with us and will forever be cherished. We found comfort in you whenever we got downhearted. Your kind hearted smile lifted our hearts anytime you were near us. It’s gone now! Never to comes back, how sad I feel until now! You had a healing voice, which was heard in your favourite song, “devude naakasrayambu.” The glow in your eyes always sent encouragement to far and wide.

When I was 12 yrs Old I suffered by an allergy, no Doctor solved my problem, but athamma said to stop eating citrus (Pulupu), it got resolved, everyone admired your wisdom in solving complex issues any time we sought your input. 

You were a role model, and now we can proudly say that you left footprints in the sands of time. athamma, you were calm even when a situation seemed unbearable. Admittedly, we have lost a precious jewel; if death were stoppable, we would have kept it from coming your way.

Athamma, you always worked hard, and I believe it is the reason why you were able to raise your children up to such a level.

Athamma, we looked forward to moments when mom would tell us that we were to visit you because we were sure of a delicious meal. The innumerable times sneaked from home to your house to come and say hi are some of the nostalgic moments we cherished at Siddipet . 

Fare thee well athamma You fought a good fight and won the race. You left a legacy that will be read through the generations, current and to come. You left a mark in our hearts, and nothing will ever erase. It is indelible in our hearts.

I will forever salute you athamma , because you have been there always to support and guide me through life. God gave me the best athamma in the world! You taught me to never give up on my dreams but to persevere no matter how hard the storms may be. I miss you athamma!

You were a gem and will remain to be cherished.

Surely athamma, our love for you will forever remain.

When I remember my grandmother, the first thing which comes to my mind is her sweet smile and soft skin.
When I was young, I remember Nayanamma getting us grandchildren down for afternoon naps. Nayanamma would feed us and teach us how to eat properly with our hands. She was always encouraging and made sure we finished our meals. Nayanamma made me handkerchiefs with small stitchings of flowers and animals.
She prayed soft spoken but sincere prayers, with her hands folded together in the presence of the Lord.
Nayanamma loved watching us grandchildren laugh and sing and enjoy each other's company. Every time we visited for the holidays she would tell us great things about her children and how proud she was of each and everyone of them.
As I grew older I have learned what a great woman my grandmother was. My mothers words are "She was a great lady"
I am inspired by Nayanamma's faithful dedicated prayers, her kindness, and her ability to speak well of anyone she knew. I know Nayanamma to be a woman who bore fruit in her life here on earth. Her life was an example and a ministry to those who were around her. She walked the walk of truth and she was rooted firm in her faith. She always spoke of Gods goodness and she was a person who endured hardships and was patient in longsuffering. I know that she is with the Lord and He is well pleased.
She was a gentle spirit and thought of everyone before she thought of herself.
She is in my thoughts daily and each day I'm thankful for the memories and for the family she raised.

From Kavitha Jaipal (Ammulu)

I thank the Lord for dear Rathna Nanamma's life. A sweet n soft-spoken person...
She used to visit my Grandpa her brother Late Mr. K.B Elisha regularly.
My greatest intercessor...she covered me n my ministry with her constant prayers. After my parents passed away, she consistently used to worry about me and call me regularly. Very loving and kind...
The last time I visited her, she mistook me for my Mom her niece.
She was a beautiful person inside and out. I'm sure she is resting in the presence of God. God bless her soul. Love you n miss you and nanamma.
~Ammulu

My loving and respectful tribute to peddamma, I remember at Nampally big dad n peddamma used to come along with a big Peetal Ka tiffin carrier having nicely cooked rice bagara Khana n natu kodi koora v used to have in mid day in Nampally ,very loving mom n caring n loving, remembered my name quite good , n call me dayaaluu bagunavva Kodaka , I attend her 80 th b day Also , miss u big mom u r nicest words n memories in my heart forever , R I P in heaven big mom , Dayal n family. , TQ chittanna for creating this virtually.

My tributes to Mummy!

Her children rise up and call her blessed;her husband also, and he praises her (Proverbs 31:28)

Praise God for Mummy's blessed life. She truly has been a great blessing not only to her family but many families in the society. Her beautiful memories are fresh in my heart.

Born into a farmer's family as an eldest daughter, she lived her life with purpose,dedication and commitment, high degree of responsibility and left a trail of examples of what one can do to the family through prayer, selfless love, sacrifice and hardwork.

She made the best use of her resources at every stage of her life, excelled in her courses and was always on top of her circumstances and trusted God to guide her through extremely challenging situations.

She always found a way to support the needy and helped them realise their potential, talents and overcome their difficulties and stand on their own feet and pointed them to the Lord. Till she could use her cognitive capacities, she had a list of people to support, pray for and thank the Lord for many miracles in their lives.

Professionally, she was acknowledged as a very efficient, most caring nurse/superintendent/matron and maintained high standards of nursing and would always advise on the best solutions, often volunteering herself to help people in need.She is fondly remembered for her sacrificial service beyond the call of her duty by many individuals and families wherever she worked.

As the youngest son, I enjoyed the privilege of recieving my parents' love, care and support for an extended period. My mother had a very fine balance of expressing love,instilling fear of God, enforcing discipline and offering encouragement while grooming us to face the life ahead.

She was a good stewardess and managed her time and resources very efficiently and made sure that all the needs of the family are met with something spared for the rainy day.

The hallmark memories of her life to me are:
Her implicit trust in God, her unceasing prayers for family, extended family members and people in need, her deep concern for (every family member, children, grand children, siblings, cousins, nephews and nieces),her devotion to Daddy, her spirit of giving, spirit of appreciation and encouragement, being overly content with what God gave, her simple living,her elegant way of getting dressed in cotton sarees,her beautiful face,her melodious voice, her grateful and forgiving heart.

May her memories stir us to emulate her life of prayer, selfless love, sacrifice and
dignity.

May God give us the strength to live for what she stood for.
Chinna (Wellington)

Greetings to you all in the name of our Creator Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

I am grateful to God for the life of my peddamma Late Mrs. Ratnamma David Pereji. Without any hesitation, I can say that Peddamma had been the most selfless, sacrificial and caring among all my aunts and uncles. Being the eldest child to my maternal grandparents, I was made aware of the sacrifices she made to support all her siblings, including my mom (Mrs. Karuna Daya Rao Gajula). When my maternal grandmother died at an early age, Peddamma took the responsibility of raising up her siblings and was very supportive to my grandfather. Being 14 years older than my mom, Peddamma was financially and morally supportive to my mom and other siblings for them to receive the right education, support careers and getting them married. My mom also recently shared with me that once there was a moment of financial crunch in Peddamma’s family, during which my mom had to miss her school for a year and that they were very much reliant on Peddamma and Peddanana for their studies.

When we (me and my two elder brothers) were very young, sometimes Peddamma, Peddanana (including Munnakka) used to visit us, while we were at Bellampalli. They were always very loving towards us and at the same time, they also taught us discipline and how to respect elders, especially by Peddanana. During those days, we used to confine “Good Mornings” only as a practice to our teachers at School. But Peddanana’s family taught us and brought these practices to our everyday life. Finally, when we finished our high schooling and went to Hyderabad to pursue our higher studies, Peddamma and Peddanana were very supportive. At that time (1994), they were living in a house at Ghasmandi close to Munakka’s residence. As such, they also desired for us to live closer to them and so Peddanana looked for us a house for rent so that we all could live in the same locality. After we moved in, they used to watch over and check on us and see how we were doing. Out of concern, as to whether we were cooking food and eating on time, many times she used to send Peddanana to our home to call me over for breakfast and send us some curries. At that time, both were in their late 60s and I cannot forget these selfless acts of kindness towards us.

I remember another instance, when I just finished my Bachelors (2001) and was about to come to the US, to pursue my graduate studies. Me, my mom and Peddamma were in that conversation. I just received some money from one of my uncles living in the US for my expenses and my mom was holding a stack of rupee notes. I remember Peddamma telling me that I should study well and earn a lot more stacks of notes like that, and I still remember that incident very vividly to this day. Such was the desire of Peddamma that not only her siblings, whom she took care of as her own children but also their children that they should be well settled in their life.

I came to India in 2010 for my marriage, and when I visited Peddamma, she got very emotional and told me that God has kept her alive so that she would be there for my wedding. But I am so very grateful that God has even kept her alive till her eldest grandson’s (John/Pintu’s) marriage and made possible for her to see her great grand son Jayden playing.

This is only a glimpse of Peddamma’s impact in my life. But there are numerous instances, where many people across her circles have received favors from Peddamma over the course of her life. Till her last days, I came to know from my Mom and Wellington Anna that Peddamma always prayed for my eldest Son, Joel (who is autistic and speechless) for his healing and so also her prayers for other family members.



Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his saints. Psalm 116:15


I can easily imagine that when Peddamma entered into Glory, our Lord Jesus might have welcomed her by saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant”

Your memories will forever be etched in our hearts. We love you Peddamma!

Praise God to all, thanking for the opportunity to pen down few memories with Athamma.
I am Vasantha, the 19th member of this third generation, and the last one. I would like to share my life connected to Athamma. My relationship with Athamma and Mama is always tagged as special. I would like to share how Athamma helped her siblings and their children in every way she can. “adapilla chaduvu intiki velugu” this statement she proved in her life. Her statement “Nuvvu okkadive baagupadithe kadu andarni paiki teeskuraavali”. With her little life in initial days she never felt that she must look after only her family, but she took care of all her siblings and she played a role of mother.

I would like to confess that, “If Athamma was not there, I would have not been here writing this.” When, I born (1983) I heard that they were in Siddipet, Mama named me as Vasantha Mani. They both had very special grace towards our family. Even, when they visited Samson Bava and Christopher Bava, they used to write letters to us, and not to forget from there they used to bring frocks of Meryl, Cheryl, and Pinky’s for me. 

Mama’s favourite Bammardi is my father, he always calls him “Endoi”. They had special bonding towards us. Mama used to be strict in studies and expressed his love wherever it is necessary. At times Mama used to visit to Siddipet from Gasmandi (Secunderabad) we used to be very scared, he used to come like a lion but dressed like a gentle man. He thought many things, I still remember he asked me to write a sentence which should contain all 26 Alphabets, I could not. Later he thought me, and I still remember those two sentences. We had a good relationship with him as he used to visit us very often. When I joined graduation in Siddipet Government College he was very happy, in the same year he went to be with the Lord.

After Mama died, Athamma visited Santosha Athamma in Kareemnagar and then she came to Siddipet to stay with us for some days. Those are the days I closely watched Athamma reading Bible and Praying every day without fail. She corrected my mom in her Chapathi making as it was not cooked on the edges, till now I keep in my mind whenever I make Chapathis. She got some time to spend with Siddipet CSI Church Old members at that time.

When my dad got paralytic attack, he stayed with Athamma for a week when Wellington Bava helped with a Physiotherapist, I visited. When I was studying in Osmania University, I visited her and remember that she pasted a few Bible Verses on the cot head side, so she can read and recite. That really inspired me a lot on how important to recite and mediate Gods word every day.

During my proposal time, Athamma used to stay with Munni Vadinamma she used to guide me in choosing the right partner and how to pray to know the will of God. For few proposals she said the pros and cons and guided me with her knowledge and experience.

Those days I used to attend CSI Sultan Bazar Wednesday Morning services, I became well known to all uncles and aunts there only because of Athamma and Mama they used to address me “mena kodalu” of Pereji Rathnamma and John David. They used to tell me how Mama helped them when they are young in Methodist hostel days and in Khammam (Makka Vidya Sagar, Pereji ViayaRao, and Bathula Samuel). Makka Vidyasagar uncle shared the days he worked with Mama in APSRTC and how they had good times with him while working in Nirmal.

She could not come to my marriage but next day I visited her with my husband Clement at Munni Vadinammas residency. Even after my delivery she called me and asked how I am and with concern, later I could see her in my last brother Anand Wedding and she met my in-laws and felt so happy for me. After that, I could not meet her but was in touch over phone calls. Wellington Bava used to call me whenever Athamma was in a mood to talk. I planned to visit her last October but due to Covid we could not make a visit.

When I read all the amazing things she has done in each one of our lives, I strongly say that she showed the love of Christ that she experienced, and we need to learn and exhibit the same to impact many. 

Thank you Munni Vadinamma Wellington bava and Merlyn akka for taking care of Athamma.

However, I am sure we will meet Athamma. Thank God for her life and service she did inside her home and in society.