Devoted wife and mom, exceptional early childhood educator, award-winning cook, amateur artist and friend to many, passed away peacefully on Sunday January 21, surrounded by immediate family.

Lakshmi is survived by her husband and life partner of almost 50 years, Chinna, and her children, Sushmita (Charles) and Ashwin (Pavla).

Her two grandchildren, Kiran and Jai, will miss her tremendously. Lakshmi was born in 1957 in Kakuturipalem, India to Seshamma and Kotaiah Thottempudi, where she grew up in a humble environment in a small farming town.

She married the love of her life, Dr. Chinna Pamidi in Tangatur, India on July 28th, 1976 and together they spent the next several years in Madras, India where Chinna was completing his PhD at the world-renowned Indian Institute of Technology.

Lakshmi and Chinna were blessed to welcome their first child, Sushmita on November 10, 1978 and their second child, Ashwin on June 30, 1980.

While Chinna was pursuing his research, Lakshmi was busy raising her young family, running the household, and completing her Bachelors of Arts at Andhra University. Lakshmi, Chinna and their kids immigrated to the Greater Toronto Area in 1981 to pursue a better life for their young family.

Arriving in a new country without any friends or family support, was the exact type of challenge that Lakshmi relished. Thanks to her warm and giving nature, coupled with her amazing smile, she was able to make friends everywhere they lived and many of those friends turned into life-long relationships.

In 2009, she retired from her teaching career to once again dedicate herself fully to her family, this time to help support raising her new grandchildren, Kiran and Jai.

This family support was essential in allowing her daughter, Sushmita, to return to work as a respirologist in Montreal. One of her happiest recent memories was attending Ashwin’s and Pavla’s wedding in Galway, Ireland in 2019, where she made countless new friends and left an indelible impression on her new Irish family.

Those who were blessed to know Lakshmi will remember her radiant smile, caring personality and her excitement in hosting and attending parties where her friends could taste her amazing cooking and experience her generosity. Lakshmi will eternally be in our hearts.

A funeral reception will be held on Wednesday January 24 at 4pm, at Mount Lawn Funeral Home in Whitby, Ontario.