Obituary of Arya Caroline Parikh

With Broken Hearts, We Share the Unimaginable

Arya Caroline Parikh

Beloved Daughter of Dr. Saumil & Mr. Joseph Parikh

Cherished Sister of Ms. Sofia Anjali Parikh

August 23, 2018 – June 26, 2025

It is with the heaviest hearts and unspeakable sorrow that we share the devastating news of the passing of our beloved daughter, Arya Caroline Parikh, at just six years old.

Arya was the brightest light in our lives — joyful, vibrant, and endlessly loving. She adored gymnastics and Tae Kwon Do, swam like a mermaid, and believed wholeheartedly in unicorns and magic. She had an infectious laugh, a kind spirit, and a heart big enough to fill every room. She was our Gerber baby — a true beauty inside and out — who made friends wherever she went and left joy in her wake.

Her name, Arya, is of Sanskrit origin and means noble or honorable — a meaning she embodied every day of her life, with grace, kindness, and an instinct to love and care deeply.

Three days after a routine tonsillectomy, she suffered a catastrophic post-operative hemorrhage at home. Despite all the heroic and valiant resuscitative efforts at the hospital, the fatal blood loss caused irreversible anoxic brain injury. On June 26, 2025, at 9:56 PM, Arya left this world surrounded by love and became one with the angels.

In her final moments, Arya gave one last selfless gift — the gift of organ donation, allowing other children to live because of her grace and unbounded kindness. Even in her final act, our angel gave back, just as she always did.

She didn’t make it to her seventh birthday, but in six short years, she gave us a lifetime of love and memories. She is now in heaven, one with God, playing with her grandfather and great-grandparents as well as her late dog LuAnn — her spirit, forever our brightest star, reborn in this world or the next.

We cannot thank everyone enough for the magnanimous outpouring of love and support since Arya’s injury on June 19, through her final walk of honor, and in these days after. Your kindness lifts us up during our darkest time.

Funeral Arrangements:

Sunday, July 6, 2025

• 1–4 PM (Viewing with Catholic prayer)

• 6–9 PM (Viewing with Hindu prayer)

Park Funeral Chapels

2175 Jericho Turnpike, Garden City Park, NY 11040

·      May appear as New Hyde Park on some navigation systems (GPS)

·      Please consider public/private transportation and/or carpooling as parking is limited at the funeral home and in the nearby residential neighborhood

Attire – To honor Arya’s memory, light pink attire is preferred. In keeping with her bicultural roots (Catholic and Hindu), guests are also welcome to wear traditional funeral attire according to their custom.

To carry forward Arya’s light, we ask that in lieu of flowers, you consider a donation to one of the charities we hold dear. These organizations are 501(c)(3) nonprofits, and your gift is fully tax-deductible as allowed by law.

Arya’s Halo of Hope - Ekal Vidyalaya <--CLICK HERE TO DONATE – a benevolent charitable organization whose virtuous mission is to spread education, healthcare, and skill development across rural India

Arya’s Halo of Hope – Share and Care <--CLICK HERE TO DONATE – a humanitarian organization whose honorable mission is to promote efficient and effective giving that creates opportunities for the underprivileged in rural India.

Blind Foundation for India <--CLICK HERE TO DONATE - a US-based non-profit organization focused on preventing and curing blindness, as well as rehabilitating those with permanent blindness in India

Arya will be cremated on Monday, July 7 and her ashes enshrined locally. On her birthday, August 23, we will additionally spread some of her ashes at sunrise atop idyllic Mount Haleakalā in Maui, in the Edenic state of Hawaii — a place that Arya dreamed of visiting, a place that was recently held in her heart.

A Celebration of Life will be held in early August (date TBA) to share music, photos, and memories of Arya’s light and love.

Rest in peace, our sweet Arya. Our souls will forever bathe in your glorious essence, illuminated by your brilliant radiance. You will always be ours — forever immortalized in our hearts.