Dr. Sindhu Nayak, age 90. Beloved mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, and great grandmother passed away peacefully among family on Friday, December 15, 2023.

Born in Bagalkot, India in October 1933, Sindhu was the youngest of six children born to Shivrao and Ratna Nayampalli.  A dedicated student, she excelled in school and studied medicine in India, traveling to Brooklyn, New York for her pediatrics residency in 1958. At a time when women doctors were rare, Sindhu thrived, caring for thousands of children, first in Montreal, then at the city health department in Omaha, Nebraska. She became a citizen of the United States on October 19, 1973. Sindhu then served as a busy pediatrician at the Naval Amphibious Base, Norfolk, Virginia, for three decades while simultaneously raising her family, the epitome of a strong and selfless working American woman. Over four decades of her work in medicine, Sindhu retained her roots as a humble South Asian immigrant, a colossus to her patients, their families and her own extended family.

During 34 years in Virginia Beach, Sindhu was a leader in her community. With her husband, Ramnath Nayak (d.2015), she supported family members widely and helped new physicians establish a practice locally.

Sindhu and her husband, Ramnath, met in medical school when assigned to class alphabetically. Their love and devotion to each other flourished for nearly six decades, evident to all who knew them. Together, they traveled the world. Together, they helped to accomplish miracles professionally and for their family, as well as for a wide circle of friends. During Ramnath's three-year illness before his death in 2015, constantly and patiently at his side, Sindhu demonstrated the meaning of true love, a divine example of commitment and devotion.

Her friends and family knew Sindhu as one of the most caring and generous people they ever came upon, always "paying it forward" and serving as a shining example to many thousands of people who spread her light and goodness throughout our world. During her 20 year retirement, including 15 years in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, she used her time and energy to serve as loving matriarch of her family as "Nana", shaping the lives of successive generations with her wisdom and generosity.  Sindhu's exemplary love for Ramnath, her family, her friends, colleagues, patients and all those whose lives she touched will reverberate through many generations.

Sindhu is survived by her sister Krishna; sons Pradeep and Sunil; daughters in-law Kathrin and Rebecca;  grandchildren Rodger, Katrina, Jesse, Grace, and Julia; granddaughter in-law Monica; and great granddaughter Eliana. She is also survived by an extended, adoring family across the U.S. and India.

A Celebration of Life Reception will be held at the Vi at Highlands Ranch, Centennial Room, 2850 Classic Drive, Highlands Ranch, Colorado 80126 on Saturday, January 27, 2024, from 2:30 to 4 pm.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (www.JDRF.org), a cause very close to Sindhu's big heart.