Hardial Kaur's Obituary
She lived her life in the villages of Punjab, India, at the turn of the last century, in the East African Jungles in the late twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, and sixties, in the towns of India in the mid-sixties and seventies and finally in the USA ….until her last days.
This is the kind of life one reads about in books or sees in make-believe movies. But, this was reality. Mrs. Hardial Kaur, born on 14 January, 1914 in India, she was the youngest of four children. Her father was Sardar Bahadur Captain Dr. Kartar Singh who practiced medicine in Kisumu, Kenya. She was just a toddler when her mother, Partap Kaur, died.
Mrs. Hardial Kaur married Sardar Jagir Singh. Together, they had six children: two sons, Harjit Singh Mangat MD and Balminder Singh Mangat MD; four daughters, Ranjit K Sandhu MD, Davinder K Bains MA, Tejinder K Brar MA, and Charanjot K Sandhu MSc. D. Pharm.
She never had a formal education beyond primary school, yet her authority left little doubt of her scholarship. Always an avid, multi-lingual student, she, never-the-less, regretted not having learned English. That lack was no deterrent when she undertook a world tour, at the age of 85, with her daughter-in-law, Mrs. May Singh, who is Scottish and speaks only English.
Living in New Orleans for the last two decades with her youngest son, Dr. Balminder Singh Mangat MD, and his wife Raghubir Kaur Mangat MD and their two children, Simrin Singh Mangat and Chathan Singh Mangat, she accepted her losses with equal grace and courage including the loss of her husband, Sardar Jagir Singh, her son, Dr. Harjit Singh, and her son-in-law, Mr. Balwinderjeet Singh Brar.
She is survived by a son, four daughters , two daughters-in-law, 12 grand children and 8 great-grand children living all over the globe. From Australia, India, England, Germany and the United States, they join together to mourn their collective and essential loss which occurred on September 22, 2008.
The last rites will be performed at E.J. Fielding Funeral Home, 2260 West 21st Ave., Covington, Louisiana, on September 24, 2008, from 11 am to 2 pm. Following the cremation, the recitation of Sikh scriptures will start at their residence in Covington.
What’s your fondest memory of Hardial?
What’s a lesson you learned from Hardial?
Share a story where Hardial's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Hardial you’ll never forget.
How did Hardial make you smile?