Obituary of Vimla Gupta

Vimla Gupta, 87, passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home on Staten Island in the early hours of Monday, July 14, 2025.

She was born May 27, 1938, in Old Delhi, India as the eldest of six siblings. She was a devoted scholar, earning a master’s degree in Sanskrit from Indraprastha College. Mrs. Gupta married her beloved husband, Hira Lal, in 1961 and together they raised their children, Pragya (Naveen) and Anurag (Pooja) and remained faithfully married for 57 years until Hira’s passing in 2018. In 1971, the family emigrated to the United States, landing in New York where Vimla re-invented herself from homemaker into a successful reinsurance consultant, traveling extensively across the U.S.

Mrs. Gupta was a respected member of the Indian community on Staten Island, where she lived for 45 years. She played a key role in establishing the Staten Island Shree Ram Temple, reflecting her deep commitment to her heritage and community.

She took great joy in her family, sharing in the lives of her three grandchildren—Megan (Parvinder), Nikhil, and Amit—and was delighted to welcome her great-grandson, Kishan, to the family earlier this year. Known affectionately as "Amma" to her grandchildren, Vimla served as a second mother to them and to so many others in the Staten Island community over the years, a constant throughout the changing decades. Mrs. Vimla Gupta will be deeply missed by her family and friends across Staten Island, the United States, Canada, and India.

We will miss you dearly—Didi, Mummy, Amma, and especially Aunty.