Like Holi, the brilliant Indian Festival of Love, Krishna Kumar Singh brought color into the lives of all those he touched. Above all, his wife Reena, and his amazing children, Sanjog, Rekha, Dev, Raaz, and Maya.
Born in Samastipur, India, Krishna's revered late father, Dr. Lallan Prasad Singh and mother Savitri Singh who brought the family to Live Oak, Florida when Krishna was nine years old, hoping his children would live the American Dream. And they did. He and his siblings Neelam – her husband Binay Prakash, Seema -her husband Dr. Prafulla Singh, Satish – his fiancé Priya, and Mamta all grew to be accomplished, family-focused adults.
He loved his siblings and mother, Savitri, so much that he was delighted to share them with everyone he could. Friends and co-workers were invited to his family events near and far as he wanted them enfolded in the love of his family, too.
And every family event rang with laughter because of Krishna's silliness and joking nature. Ask anyone in the family and they will tell you he was the rock of the family and so protective of the many nieces and nephews he cherished and treated like his own children, Rahul, the eldest – his wife Meenakshi and their soon to be baby, Aviral – his wife Devyani and their son Avyaan, Brittany – her husband Eddie and their daughter Kinjal, Ritika, Chaya, Sidhanth, and Simran – her daughter Ivyana.
His favorite family events were often graduations because he was devoted to education. With his own children, homework had to be finished before anything else. His nieces and nephews served as role models for his children as teachers, lawyers, entrepreneurs, and doctors. But they say he was their role model. He was their "fun uncle" who would spoil them, dance like a monkey to make them laugh but who would always have their backs.
Krishna would sometimes lament that he, too, should have become a physician like his father but then would be reminded by his devoted staff that it was his father the doctor who bought him his first video camera in middle school, and it was that interest that allowed his creative genius to bloom into Unique Video Creations, the business that supported his family and the families of many others.
The business had many facets, but it was weddings that Krishna loved best to film. He cherished the fact he and his team got to capture the first moments a new family was formed -- and his warmth, compassion and genuine caring often made those couples feel like family, too.
His staff was family, too. Whether traveling as a team (he always notated the mileage and had traveled twice the distance of the equator with one of his videographers -- telling her he couldn't wait to interview her future husband someday) or acting solitarily to get the perfect shot or interview, he always did his best to capture the most important moments in life.
He was a joy-bringer and there was a constant, gentle kidding about the office. Told by his co-worker and "twin" from another mother that he was the best father, son, brother, and boss she had ever seen, he responded by telling her she hadn't seen his flaws. She shot right back that she would be the first to point them out to him!
He loved to surprise people on their birthdays or anniversaries. But at his own 50th birthday surprise party, painstakingly planned for months by staff and brightly decorated and catered by fellow wedding vendors, Krishna shrank from all the attention he received. But one had only to look around to see what kind of a person he was. The celebration was a joyful mixture of people of every color, religion, age, and nationality. Because Krishna only saw others through the eyes of love.
And the people he loved most were his wife and children. When Facebook posed the question, "What are you most grateful for?" Krishna answered with a photo of his triplets; Dev, Raaz and Maya. They were his all, his everything, his always, his heart's delight. The three of them echo his sweetness and his caring nature. And they were his most cherished companions. He spent every moment he could with them.
His circle of love grew to include wife, Reena, and children Rekha and Sanjog. Had his triplets searched the planet themselves, they would never have found a better big sister or big brother than they did in them.
When the two of them married, it was Reena who brought Krishna back to life. They walked together every morning at dawn in what became "their time". She relieved so many of the inordinate stresses he felt as a single father and gave him the kind of love he so richly deserved.
Reena ushered in a new era for Krishna. His business flourished and he even chose a new one, becoming a New York Life Insurance Agent. It was a job he came to love and excel at, and he appreciated that fact that it was just another way to protect families.
Because for Krishna, families were everything, be it the family you were born into, the family you created at work, the family you married into, or the family you chose in your friends.
Many people have chosen to describe Krishna in different ways. He was forgiving even when grievously wronged. He never said a negative word about those who had hurt him. Not only was he full of grace, he was also generous and charitable beyond words, often giving of himself both personally and professionally.
Krishna was patient with children, co-workers and clients. Yet he was impatient with himself -- self-effacing and expecting more of himself.
Thoughtful beyond measure, he might show up unexpectedly at a friend's chemo appointment between video depositions as a show of support or invite a colleague who seemed lonely over for a family dinner on a random night.
He was dedicated, honest, loyal and the ultimate professional.
His soul was so very pure. His heart of gold extended to all he met.
Krishna was amazing. That was the one word people used most to describe him. The color of this world is less bright without Krishna. And we will miss him as long as we are in it.
If Krishna had a failing, it was that he couldn't stand to see people hurt or upset. He would beg others not to cry and, if they did, he would do anything he could to turn their tears to laughter. In that vein and to provide solace for those he leaves with broken hearts, he might share the words of the great Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, who wrote:
Farewell My Friends
It was beautiful as long as it lasted
The journey of my life.
I have no regrets whatsoever
save the pain I'll leave behind.
Those dear hearts who love and care...
And the strings pulling at the heart and soul...
The strong arms that held me up
When my own strength let me down.
At every turning of my life I came across good friends,
Friends who stood by me,
Even when the time raced me by.
Farewell, farewell my friends
I smile and bid you goodbye.
No, shed no tears for I need them not
All I need is your smile.
If you feel sad do think of me
for that's what I'll like.
When you live in the hearts
of those you love,
remember then
you never die.
SHARE OBITUARYSHARE
v.1.12.0