Sushila Singh

Sushila Singh was born under the British Raj in Bulandshahr in the state of Uttar Pradesh, in northern India on September 15, 1944. She was almost three years old when India gained independence from Great Britain on August 15, 1947.
Sushila's parents were Shyam Lal and Vidhya Lal. Her mother, Vidhya, died when Sushila was about five or six years old. Sushila had an older brother named Ram Lal, an older sister named Shakuntala Lal (whose married surname was Singh), and a younger brother named Gilbert Lal. Sushila's parents and her brothers and sisters all preceded her in death.
When Methodist missionaries arrived in Bulandshahr, Sushila's father and another family were the only ones to welcome the missionaries into their homes. This was when Sushila's family first heard the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Acts 4:12; Romans 6:23; Romans 10:9-10; and Ephesians 2:8-9).
Because of the missionaries, Sushila was fortunate enough to obtain a fifth grade education. It was uncommon for daughters to have educational opportunities in India at that time. After she returned home from completing her fifth standard of education, her father, partly because of pressure from his relatives, decided that Sushila needed to stay home to help the household. It was expected that at least one daughter must adhere to the cultural norms of that time. Sushila's father did permit his eldest daughter to receive an education with the help of the missionaries.
At the age of seventeen, Sushila's father arranged her marriage to Tunias Singh. Her eldest daughter, Pushpa, was born before the family moved to Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay) in Maharashtra, India. Her husband obtained employment at a hotel known as the Taj Mahal Palace. To this day, the Taj Mahal Palace is a popular hotel among tourists across the world. It is located very close to the Gateway of India. This gateway, with its rich history, was used by the last British troops that left India in 1948.
Unfortunately, the beauty and history of Mumbai were not luxuries Sushila could bask in because of difficulties she encountered in her marriage. Sushila would travel multiple times, over several years, between Mumbai and Bulandshahr with Pushpa because of these marital struggles. Culturally, this would have stigmatized any woman in Sushila's situation. At that time, a woman would have been blamed for the failure of the marriage in India.
In a final effort to make the marriage work, Sushila returned to Mumbai one last time. When Pushpa was about ten years old, Sapna, the second daughter was born. Two years later, a son, Swarndeep "Sandeep" Singh, was born. Because of the vices in Tunias's life that affected his roles as a husband and as a father, Sushila left Mumbai. She returned to her father's home in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh when Swarndeep was only six months old. The family would never see Tunias Singh and heard later from his own family that he had passed away.
Sushila, who now had three children to raise, was living in poverty in north India. Sushila's father had continued to be reluctant about the idea of his youngest daughter receiving any additional education. She was now a mother and was legally married. At that time, it would have made sense for Sushila to focus on taking care of her father's household and of her children who were now a part of that household.
Sushila's elder sister, Shakuntala, wrote to a Methodist missionary and explained the circumstances to this woman. Shakuntala understood that the education afforded to her would also benefit her younger sister. Because of Shakuntala's efforts, the missionaries returned to the Bulandshahar and insisted that Sushila would receive further education. Praise be to the Lord God Almighty, that her father consented to what the missionaries said.
Sushila would obtain her high school education in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh. Afterwards, Sushila obtained her Basic Training Certificate in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. This program is designed to help prepare a person for teaching roles, usually in primary education. Because of God's provision, Sushila was eventually able to work as a primary school teacher at the campus of Ingraham Institute, which is a Methodist private school in Ghaziabad.
Sushila's work allowed Pushpa to receive her nursing training. Pushpa worked as a staff nurse at the largest government hospital in New Delhi, India. The teaching opportunity afforded to Sushila opened the doors for Sapna and Swarndeep to obtain an education that included the study of the English language. Sapna's education includes a bachelor's degree in Biology, and a master's degree in English. Sapna also obtained her Basic Training Certificate and currently teaches at a government school in Etah, Uttar Pradesh, India. Swarndeep obtained a bachelor's degree in commerce, and completed a master's diploma in business commerce. He currently works in Boise, Idaho for a marketing agency.
It is by the amazing grace of God that Sushila had the opportunity to obtain an education that provided for the needs of her children. This was during a time in Indian history when women were highly unlikely to receive an education, especially in an area that was less urban and more rural. Sushila retired after decades of teaching.
In June of 2014, Pushpa Raj (maiden last name Singh) died in New Delhi of a sudden heart attack. The loss of her eldest daughter caused Sushila immense grief during that first year. She would continue to miss her eldest daughter and would speak of Pushpa often.
Before retiring from teaching, Sushila had begun to struggle with arthritis in her knees which eventually began to affect her ability to walk. In February of 2020, Sushila had a stroke that affected her abilities to speak, read, and write. From February of 2020 to October of 2023, both Swarndeep and Sapna helped to take care of Sushila. The Lord healed her ability to speak, read, and write. Occasionally she would struggle with word recall when speaking. Because of the issues with her knees, the pandemic, and the stroke, Sushila had become homebound. Most homes in India are not on the ground floor of a building. This was the case with Sushila's home and with Sapna's home. Getting out had become difficult for Sushila.
Sushila first visited Boise, Idaho from November of 2023 to May of 2024. During that time she attended church at Engage Boise. The congregation at Engage Boise accepted Sushila with open arms.
In Idaho, Sushila experienced her first snow fall, her first Thanksgiving, and her first Christmas in the US. When the weather was agreeable, her son and daughter-in-law would look for opportunities for her to see new places in Idaho.
Sushila returned to Boise, Idaho in November of 2024 because of the positive experiences she had at Engage Boise and in Idaho. She understood that she would be with her son and that she would not be homebound as she had been while living India. Sushila had enjoyed seeing Idaho. She had cherished the love she received from of her daughter-in-law's family and the love of people she met at Engage Boise
During her second trip, she saw more of the Treasure Valley, experienced her first Vacation Bible School for children, saw a movie in a movie theatre (in more than forty years), rode a train from the Sumpter Valley Rail Road, in Oregon, experienced the first night of a Christian Teen Camp, and enjoyed the beauty of the national forests in Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.
Sushila had looked forward to a family trip to Yellowstone. On July 8, 2025, she enjoyed the trip from Boise to Idaho City up to Stanley, and Arco, Idaho. She was in awe of the majesty of the Sawtooth mountains, the splendor of the rivers along this route, and the beauty of Mount Borah. On July 8, 2025, Sushila had the opportunity to see three sections of Yellowstone National Park with her son and her daughter-in-law. She enjoyed the park, and was amazed at the geological activity and the natural beauty of the land. In the predawn hours of Thursday July 10, 2025, Sushila Singh passed away from the effects of a major heart attack.
Sushila Singh is survived by her daughter, Sapna Samuel, and her son, Swarndeep Singh. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Alice Raj and Martin Raj (children of her eldest daughter Pushpa Raj), along with Anugrah Samuel (son of her daughter Sapna Samuel), and her great grandson (born to Alice Raj). She is also survived by her nephews and nieces, and their children.
Sushila loved the Lord very much. She understood that she was saved by grace through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and accepted Him as her Lord and Savior in her younger years. In spite of the challenges she faced in life, Sushila experienced love, joy, and laughter. She was happy to attend church, and took pleasure in attending church at Engage Boise.
Sushila read her Bible and sang worship songs everyday. She always wrote down the verse of the day in her notebook that she would read on her Bible app. Sushila would watch videos of Hindi Christian worship songs around dinner time each day. Before bedtime, she cherished the time she spent with her son as they read the Bible and prayed together. Sushila Singh loved Psalm 23, Psalm 91, and Psalm 121 and had memorized these Psalms by heart.