Sushila A. Patel

Sushila Patel, known to many as Suni, passed away on February 9, 2026, leaving behind a world that was immeasurably brighter because of her presence. She was a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, an auntie, a friend, and to anyone who ever crossed her path, a force of love so fierce and whole-hearted.

Sushila was born on October 14, 1974, in Gujarat, India. At four years old, she traveled to the United States and grew up in Chicago, Illinois, ultimately building her home in Mokena. From the very beginning, she was persistent and strong - a woman who knew what she wanted and always, always made it happen.

That determination showed itself early. At just sixteen years old, Sushila began working at Walgreens, a company she would devote her entire career to. She graduated from Good Counsel High School with the Class of 1992, and went on to earn her pharmacy degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) with the Class of 1998. She built a career as a pharmacist at Walgreens, caring for her community the same way she cared for everyone in her life: completely, generously, and without reservation. And when breast cancer came her way, she handled it the same way she handled everything else – head on, and she beat it like a champ.

That same determination applied to love. At nineteen, when love marriages weren't exactly the norm, Suni knew Danny was the one, and she wasn't about to let tradition stand in her way. She ran away from home to marry him, because when she set her heart on something, that was that.

But if you really wanted to know Sushila, you had to see her with babies. She was a mother to all – not just to her own beloved daughters, Pri and Ash, but to every child who was lucky enough to be held in her arms. She gave her girls the world, and she would have given it to yours, too. Whether it was board game nights with Pri, Ash, and all the kids, or holding someone's newborn like it was the most natural thing on earth – that was just who she was.

And then there were her friendships. Sushila didn't just have friends – she collected people and held onto them for life. She was the one everyone called, the one everyone wanted at the table, the one whose phone was always ringing because people simply couldn't get enough of her. Her circle was enormous because her heart was enormous. She showed up for the people she loved with a loyalty and warmth that made you feel like the most important person in the world and somehow, she made everyone feel that way.

Sushila was the kind of person who made sure you never left her house hungry or empty-handed. She cooked the best food, and she made sure you were fully stocked on it, whether you asked for it or not. She tended her garden with the same loving attention she gave to the people around her, nurturing her veggies and flowers into bloom the way she drew smiles out of everyone she met. She could find a deal like nobody else, and if there was a coupon worth clipping, she made sure everyone she knew got in on it too.

She loved to travel. She loved long phone calls with her friends. She could beat just about anyone in the Bonus Round of Wheel of Fortune. She was funny – truly, genuinely, make-you-laugh-until-you-cry funny. And she was the most beautiful, inside and out.

Sushila loved whole-heartedly. There was no halfway with her. She gave everything she had to the people she loved, and she loved so many.

She is survived by her daughters, Priya and Ashvi; her husband, Shailesh (Danny); her parents, Ambalal, Ranjan, Jayanti, and Kankoo; her siblings, Gita, Avani, Sneh, and Vikas; and so many others who will carry her light and sparkle for the rest of their lives.

The world lost a lot of light on February 9th. But Sushila Patel was never the kind of woman whose presence could fade. She was too bright, too warm, too unforgettable for that. She will be felt in every meal shared with love, every flower that blooms in spring, every board game played with the kids, and every baby held a little closer. To those she touched, the world remains indelibly brighter.

Puja Service Saturday, February 14th 10:00am at McCauley-Sullivan Funeral Home 530 W. Boughton Rd. Bolingbrook, IL. 60440.

Visitation and Eulogies to Follow Puja service at 11:00am.