Chhaya Kulkarni

December 29, 1949 - April 26, 2019

Chhaya Kulkarni of Annapolis, Maryland, died peacefully at home on April 26, 2019. She was with her husband, both daughters, son-in-law, three grandchildren, and over a dozen close friends. Chhaya courageously navigated her decade-long journey with cancer with the same positivity and graceful resilience that characterized her entire life. Chhaya Bhalchandra Rege, the daughter of Bhalchandra Rege and Shanta (Kanta) Kulkarni, was born on December 29, 1949, in Vile Parle, Mumbai, India. She graduated from the Parle Tilak Vidyalaya primary, middle and high school in 1966; that same year she represented the state of Maharashtra in the National Basketball Championship. She studied Microbiology at the University of Bombay while continuing to play basketball for the University, and earned a bachelor's degree in Microbiology in 1970. Shortly thereafter she immigrated to the United States, married Vijay Durgaprasad Kulkarni on May 25, 1970, in the Annapolis Courthouse, and changed her name to Chhaya Vijay Kulkarni. Chhaya and Vijay bought their first home in the Rolling Knolls community of Annapolis, Maryland, in 1975, and built a long and loving life together in Annapolis. Chhaya became a naturalized United States citizen in 1978. She was a dedicated Marylander through and through. Chhaya worked in the Microbiology Department of Anne Arundel General Hospital in Annapolis from 1971 to 1993. She earned a second bachelor's degree in Biology from UMBC in 1992 and a master's degree in Education from Loyola University in 2000. She taught Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Science for Anne Arundel County Public Schools for 20 years, and retired from Southern High School in 2013. Chhaya loved gardening, bird watching, cooking, dolphin sightings, dancing, hiking through the United States National Parks and traveling the world with her husband. She passionately celebrated the special occasions of her loved ones, and had many friends of different backgrounds due to her adventurous and non-judgmental nature. Her heart-shaped Rice Krispy treats on Valentine's Day were a delight to all who received them, and her love for sunflowers and hummingbirds was legendary. Chhaya committed herself to helping others lead joyful and more meaningful lives in both her birth country and her adopted country. She participated in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day 60 Mile Walk to raise money and awareness for breast cancer. She also supported numerous charities, including the Indian orphanage from which her granddaughter was adopted. Chhaya was a doting wife, mother, daughter, grandmother and friend. She will be dearly missed. Chhaya is survived by her husband Vijay Kulkarni; daughter Nina Kulkarni, husband Nathaniel Worden and their three children Rajan, Shekar and Rupa Worden; daughter Shaila Kulkarni; sister Meena Varavdekar, her three children and their families; and countless loved ones that she regarded as family. Services were held at the family home. ****** An additional note from Chhaya's family: Our dear Chhaya Kulkarni passed away peacefully in her sleep on Friday, April 26. We knew this was coming but thought we had so much more time before we had to say goodbye. Mom passed away 12 hours before our parents' big 49th Wedding Anniversary party. Since Mom had insisted that the party must go on without her, we honored her wishes and hosted an unconventional Celebration of Life party. We held a private prayer service at home, and then celebrated her life with 20 performances of poetry, songs, karyoke and stories by family members and friends. We danced, laughed and cried together, and then we had an impromptu after-party in our home with a kid vs parent soccer game outside and the best weather imaginable. Mom was always the life of the party, and she would've loved it. Although we were devastated, we also felt full of joy knowing this was the event she wanted us to host. Thank you to our wonderful family and friends who came across the country, across the ocean and across General's Highway to help keep us afloat during this challenging week. Thank you also to our Rolling Knolls neighbors who have been a big part of our lives since 1975 and still continue to be the same amazing people today that they were back then. Thank you to my NYC colleagues and neighbors + Shaila's South River & AACC colleagues who are holding everything together until we are back to work. Thank you to all of Mom's friends who are sharing stories with us that we've never heard before. You are the light in the darkness. The hardest part of losing her is knowing that we cannot build any new memories, but hearing new stories, seeing new photos and being reminded of old ones brings So. Much. Comfort. We are forever grateful to all of you ❤ Love, Nina, Shaila, Vijay and Nathaniel P.s. Out of respect for Mom's wishes, please do not post any specifics about her battle with cancer on Facebook or anywhere else on social media. We used a private page on the Caring Bridge website specifically for that purpose. Any other questions or concerns should be directed to us via text or email. In Lieu of flowers, donations can be made at the link below to "Team Chhaya" participating in the the Susan G. Komen 3-Day 60-mile Walk to End Cancer in San Diego this November: http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/2019/SanDiegoEvent2019?pg=team&fr_id=2034&team_id=262671