Ami Patel

Rita Patel Welcome to the World..... Ami ("Friend") 10-16-1995

Rita Patel Fall break 2000 (10/5-10/12) This was our very first vacation with Ami, normally we spent our money and vacation time on visiting family, but this time, we decided to take an actual vacation she was about to turn 5 years old. Plano School district had Fall breaks in October, which was a great time to take off to popular destinations and not have to deal with normal summer crowds. Especially Disney World, Florida We went through a travel agent to book (most of you know me as the travel arranger, but this was my first family vacation, before I knew what to do 😊), I think the travel agency was Cruise Planners Anyway, we decided to go all out, probably still to this day, one of our most expensive vacations, but well worth it! We decided to do the full 7-day park and cruise plan. 3 days in the parks and 4 days on the Disney cruise. We stayed at the Disney Contemporary Hotel, our Boat was called Disney Wonder! The most memorable part of the trip was the way the Disney staff treated us, we felt like royalty. One day on the cruise when we docked, Ami was having so much fun in the Disney kids club she wanted to spend the day there with her new friends, instead of getting off the boat with us for a shopping excursion. We talked about this vacation for years, and still think it was one of the best ones we did together, it was the start of many more great travel memories!

Rita Patel Disney Cruise Oct 5-12, 2000

Charmi A I can’t remember when this was (maybe circa 2006), Ami came up to Jersey and we went to NYC one day to see Beauty and the Beast on Broadway! We get to the city and hop out of the minivan and the first thing Ami said was “OHH MAN! The air here STINKS! I can’t breathe!!” 😂 That’s NYC for you girl! Too funny!

Charmi A Cabo 2008...Ami was always the comfiest one at the party!

Vasu Bhakta because I have to...

Rita Patel 2011 "Swag" - 20th Anniversary Party

Sara Harpole Some mall hangout time featuring an old navy real-life mannequin. Goofy fun!

Sanam Bhakta New Years 2013: to end the year on a good quote "I know gujarati, 'pacho bald ayevo'"

Vasu Bhakta Akash and I were so nervous taking the kids for the first time to Coco Bongo...by the end of the night they were on the stage dancing! Someone should ask Jay about Ami eating tacos out of his hands 😂😂

Sara Harpole Prom dress shopping at Grapevine Mills mall. Neither of us found the dress we wore that day, but wow did we have a lot of fun trying them all on!

Rita Patel Shortly after her 18th Birthday, she wanted to take a bar tending class, I thought, why not, in this family we could use a couple of good bar-tenders, so I said let's do it... I invited a few other friends to join us.... bought a group-on :).... She was 18, but she was able to figure it out way better than any of us!! Three shakers, three different colored drinks, all poured at same time, in different glasses!!! Now that's real Talent! Years later, she did work at a bar for a short time! Decided to stick to Law instead!

Vasu Bhakta Sevan’s first trip to the zoo with his brother’s and sister.

Rita Patel Took Sevan to the Wildflower Festival!! We wanted to make sure Sevan rocked on with Rock n Roll music!!! you can never start too early!

Rita Patel Scotch Tasting through Scotland Mother Daughter Trip to the UK

Rita Patel Mother Daughter Trip to the UK

Rita Patel Mother Daughter Trip to Washington DC... W/ Eleanor R. We took a walking tour of the monuments, and the tour guide told us the story about the height of the Capitol building, and that there was only 1 state that was allowed to have their capitol building higher than the US Capitol... Guess which state. Ami and I knew :)

Rita Patel Nov 2015 - Ami and Sevan horsing around.... Sevan so adorable!

Naziza Ahmad Her first time buying alcohol with her ID.

Sara Harpole Playing Pokémon Go! Silly fun times.

Rajani Bhakta Ami's first hiking trip with the family! Even though she didn't like hiking, she still came because she loves family!!! This was an amazing trip and we made it to the top of Bierstadt. She was so relieved! This was a very special trip for me!!!!!

Charmi A I remember the night before our wedding, my bridesmaids and I were hanging out in my suite and we were starving! I went to the go find some food and bumped into Jiten mama along the way who said he’ll bring us some pizza. Few minutes later Mama and Ami were standing at the door with like 6 pies of pizza! I introduced her to my friends as my “older little sister” ❤️ She ended up staying and taking some pictures of me and the girls doing silly poses, poor thing couldn’t run out of there fast enough!! 😂

Charmi A Ami teaching the aunties how to break it down on the dance floor!!

Naziza Ahmad Always my sister forever!

Naziza Ahmad

Jay Patel Your 21st birthday in Nashville

Virginia Shea Ami reminds me of Luke Bryan's Kick Up the Dust. She always found a way to celebrate wherever she was and with whomever was with her. She found the best in us all. Her memory warms my heart.

Saayna Bhakta Rickshaw driver: we can only fit 3 people Ami Ben: sike, we have 4 people

Virginia Shea Ami always reminded Mrs of Luke Bryan's Kick Up the Dust... she bright the party wherever she wad. She lived life large and loved everyone she encountered. Her memory warms mmt heart.

Vasu Bhakta New Years

Vasu Bhakta New Years in Mumbai. It was so cool to show her my city and my house!

Naziza Ahmad

Jiten Patel I remember sitting in this window with my grandfather. It was a must-do for Ami and me when we went to India in 2017.

Naziza Ahmad Us 5 years ago and our love for ColorPop’s Tuly lipstick

Naziza Ahmad Our last moments together as the "crew".

Naziza Ahmad It was my graduation dinner. I wasn't allowed to drink in front of my parents. She looked at me and said "pitcher or giant glass?" We ordered a giant glass and I was drinking out of her glass the entire night. She is the crime partner we all needed in life. I miss our drinks and conversations. I miss us...A LOT.

Naziza Ahmad The last time we were all together. Our crew.

Saayna Bhakta On our way to go bowling at midnight...she LOVED her country music!

kayla bhakta mexico 2017, wouldn’t wanna vacation with anybody else!!!

Vasu Bhakta Kayla’s bday bash!!

Naziza Ahmad Thanksgiving 5 years ago

Rita Patel Kayla's 18th Birthday Trip - so many stories from this trip. Coco Bongo attempt #1- bust, but had a great time at all the other bars that night Coco Bongo night two, with Davephuwa declared as GOAT!

Seema Bhakta Ami found this amazing gin bar for me while we were visiting Singapore. Wow did she know me well. What an amazing trip this was! So grateful for all the wonderful memories during our Asia trip.

Jay Patel Thailand trip with our Dada and Masis...this beat from the dinner cruise stuck with us

Rakesh Bhakta Our favorite time...

Kruti Patel To my girl Ami who gave me the title of Nani a title I will always cherish and love ❤️

Naziza Ahmad I wanted to do a photoshoot of her and this was her "model" pose lol. Note 10 min after this she told random people I was a photographer and I was taking their insta pictures.

Rita Patel amimi41 That Mediterranean though... Is it weird to make a Nice is nice joke? #amidoeseurope Nice, France April 14, 2018

Rita Patel amimi41 Nice, Eze, Monaco. ✔✔✔ #amidoeseurope Nice, France April 16, 2018

Rita Patel amimi41 They call it the Temple of Gelato. Rome's oldest gelato factory! We had a private tour and a lot of gelato. Peep the video at the end! Rome, Italy April 17, 2018

Rita Patel They call it the Temple of Gelato. Rome's oldest gelato factory! We had a private tour and a lot of gelato. Peep the video at the end! Rome, Italy April 17, 2018

Rita Patel Roma April 17, 2018

Rita Patel Food Experience Tour in Rome. Thank you Laura Art Selva for sending these Pictures

Rita Patel

Rita Patel Sorrento Italy April 18, 2018

Rita Patel amimi41 There is nothing like sitting in the sun on the Med...anywhere on the Med. #Amidoeseurope Sorrento Coast, Italy April 19, 2018

Rita Patel amimi41 Private beach under the Devil's Bridge. #Amidoeseurope Positano, Italy April 20, 2018

Rita Patel Devil's Mouth Amalfi Coast Italy

Rita Patel Pompeii April 21, 2018

Rita Patel amimi41 Whom ever said taco bowls were king never met the PASTA BOWL, made with crispy Parmesan cheese!!! #Amidoeseurope Sorrento, Italy April 21, 2018

Rita Patel amimi41 Conquering fears, one chairlift at a time. #Amidoeseurope Anacapri Italy April 22, 2018

Rita Patel Capri April 22, 2018

Rita Patel amimi41 My view right now...I know it is pretty soon, we only just met but... I love you, Ireland. #Amidoeseurope Ireland April

Rita Patel amimi41 Ireland will never cease to amaze me. #Amidoeseurope Cliffs of Moher, Ireland April 24, 2018

Rita Patel amimi41 The local friary... Is it normal to want a pet sheep after being in Ireland? #Amidoeseurope Ireland April 25, 2018

Rita Patel amimi41 Books, busts, and a harp... All the makings of a great library. #Amidoeseurope Dublin, Ireland April 30, 2018

Rita Patel amimi41 The big 🍎 NYC June 16, 2018

Nazia Karim Our Wedding Ceremony in Wichita, KS. Loved having the Patel ladies to join our big day.😘

Vasu Bhakta Group photo after we painted on the family trip. Kids and the grandparents

Rita Patel Family Trip Lake Tahoe Sept 2018 Some relaxing, some posing, some painting!!!

Vasu Bhakta Group photo

Rita Patel Family Trip Lake Tahoe 2018

Vasu Bhakta Brunch that lasted almost 24hrs with 4 bottles of Prosecco (Hi!), 1 bottle of white, and 2 bottle of red...brunch of a lifetime! ❤️

Vasu Bhakta Brunch: it’s about 9pm we decide to wake up maa to celebrate her birthday.

Vasu Bhakta Brunch continued: now it’s about 6:00pm we end up at my house because the restaurant ran out of Prosecco...

Vasu Bhakta Brunch: midnight...what else can we drink? 🧐

Rita Patel NOLA - Plantation Visit Amazing weekend 50th Birthday - Mother Daughter Trip Dec 2018

Arti Bhakta Shailesh’s 50th birthday party! So happy that we had this time to spend with her and capture the moment! ❤️

Arti Patel End of March 2019 came to check up on Jake Kaka to see how he was doing after radiation treatments. We ended up drinking and laughing and it was so much fun with her.❤️

Ani Ravi Spontaneous bowling one night in March 2019

Rita Patel amimi41 Big Bros and Indian Clothes no7_blackwhite 💜💜💜💜💜 And triple trouble 😂 no7_blackwhite Looking Great! saraharpole You look like an adult lady🔥 March 24, 2019

Seema Bhakta Weekend trip to Austin with my favorite people. Ami ordered us food at 3am and it was going to take an hour to come. We were super hungry and excited for the food to arrive. She said it would take an hour so we waited, had more drinks. Ami got the notification from the driver and he was headed to her house in Frisco! Lol She forgot to change the delivery address 😂. She told the driver to keep the food and not to ring the doorbell to her place. We didn't get our food so we had chips and went to sleep! It was a great trip.

Aman Bhakta We spent the day at the spa and then hopped around Denver rooftops, we were feeling extremely relaxed and rambunctious all at the same time.

Shikha Raval Even though I had just met Ami, it felt like we knew each other for much longer! Thankful I got to spend this weekend with her in Denver

Saayna Bhakta ¡Diwalima Family Reunion ft. Puerto Vallarta! Most of the cousins were CRAVING steak after our long day at the beach. So, Ami Ben suggested we go to the steakhouse at the resort. After walking almost a mile in the rain, looking for this steakhouse, we finally found it. She was so excited that she skipped up to the front host and told him there were 9 of us and we were all VERY HUNGRY. The host then said that it’s against their rules to put tables together. So, the rest of the cousins were fine with not sitting with each other, so, we sat down at separate tables. Ami Ben, however, looked this man dead in the eyes, and said “LOOK, we are here to have dinner together as a family. So either you sit us together or we’re out of here!” The man still said that they can NOT put tables together. Rookie mistake. She unleashed hell. Yelling and telling all of us to get up, but, we were hungry so we sat our butts down in the chair. Eventually, we all got kicked out of the restaurant, and had 2 pieces of steak and a few grilled pineapple slices in our stomachs. But, hey, it was worth it :)

Rita Patel Sevan's 7th Birthday.... Amiben picked out the cake!!!

Saayna Bhakta The dallas family came to our house on this day, at the brink of summer ending. Usually when the crazies get together, it’s basically like a big ol’ party. After drinking & drinking, the limes ran out, along with the chasers. So my mother had a bright idea, since I had just gotten my license, she told me to go to H.E.B. at 11pm! I told Ami Ben to come with me because I was scared to go alone at night. So we both get into our old Honda Pilot; she wanted to play music, but there was no such thing as bluetooth in the car. So she of course found the perfect country music station in New Braunfels, rolled the windows down, and blasted the music. When we walked inside H.E.B., she saw a really cute guy, so she told me in her nasal voice: “SAAYNAAAA FALL” and i was just like Ami Ben has never regretted anything, so i fell. The guy came over & helps us asking if i’m okay, which eventually got the guy to come and talk to us. She was clever!

Rita Patel

Traci Reavis We left our mark on Cancun!

Nazia Karim Fun times in Dallas!

Saayna Bhakta

Rakesh Bhakta Going way back...

Rajani Bhakta They never said NO to photos!!!

Krishna Bhakta

Dhara Patel Ami promised to visit me at Duke before I graduated. Not being one to go back on her promises, she actually visited me! We drank wine on our quad, caught up, laughed, and went out. It meant so much to me that one of my best friends was willing to make the trip.

Dhara Patel Ami, Hemat, and I volunteering at an elementary school for NHS while we were at Plano Senior. We wore hairnets because we were afraid of lice!

Dhara Patel The Patels at prom

Teri-Ellen Scroggins This was the last message I received from Ami. She was so generous with her feelings and shared her excitement when I surprised her with a box of cake balls. I loved, loved, loved her, too.

Rajani Bhakta One of my favorite photos! I can't believe dad took 3 little ones to explore NYC!

Ravina Mehta Our champion who showed us a great time on our Birthday! It was one of the greatest times I’ve ever had! ❤️❤️❤️

Teri-Ellen Scroggins I always thought of Ami as a youngster. This day was the one that changed that. We ran in the Color Race and I got to know her on a more personal level. Years later, we shared an office for several months. We would talk for hours between our work tasks (and sometimes pretended we were working) while having deep discussions about life, love, dreams, beauty, travel, the future and politics. Oh, the politics! 😉 Despite the vast difference in our ages, we had a connection. I often told her she was born too late. She had such an appreciation of the 60’s and 70’s culture, musically, politically and socially. She trusted humanity but she was also street smart and she created the chance to see just about every corner of the world. She experienced as much life as possible for someone her age. She was a bright, shining star on this earth and will continue to be so in the heavens.

Aman Bhakta We love a good old fashioned!

Saayna Bhakta got bored at Natu Dada’s 80th, so we decided to take selfies :P

Hemat Patel Throughout high school, Ami and I competed in DECA together. We always chose a team event and always a hospitality related category (leave it to the Patels!). We spent a lot of time in busses, cafeterias, and auditoriums prepping for our presentation, and Ami always knew how it make it entertaining. She always had jokes to tell or witty comments to make that just made the experience more fun! I also remember I would always get really nervous right before we had to present but Ami would always be so calm and collected. She gave me confidence. We did as well as we did thanks to her!

Seema Bhakta Amiben with her younger brothers She loved all her brothers 💜

Charmi A With the bros at Jiten mama and Rita mami’s surprise anni party!

Charmi A ❤️

Naziza Ahmad My favorite, always!

Rita Patel

Rita Patel

Rita Patel Happy 25th Birthday!! This world will never be the same without you, but we will always cherish every single memory! (Multiple Pictures and Video within this post)

Rajani Bhakta Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year Ami... You will always be missed but never forgotten. I love you!

Rita Patel

Rita Patel

Rita Patel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHpkfTmOXXo - Moment of silence at Law school Graduation. ~48.50 minutes in the video

Rita Patel

Rita Patel https://www.theamifund.org/

Rita Patel

Rajani Bhakta Happy 26th Birthday Ami!! I miss you and love you! Sharing photos and videos from your birthday celebration and tree planting ceremony!!!

Rajani Bhakta Dear Ami, On our recent trip to Switzerland and Germany with your mom, Saajan and Jay.. i really missed you there and your love for travel and adventure. Your mom and I had to suffer through the chocolate making class but I know that would be your most favorite thing to do with your brothers! On our first day in Zurich, we went for a walk at night and saw this cool bridge with locks and names written on it. I have seen it in Paris before and i kept thinking I need to get a lock made with all the kids name on it and kept thinking of you so much. I found a lock and had Saajan wrote the names on it with a pen and we all went to the bridge to place the lock to symbolize and lock the love you guys have for each other and will always have for each other. We threw the key in the river and took a few photos. It is called the Zurich love lock bridge. Your mom thought this would be cheesy but it felt good to do this. This was to honor you Ami and to let you know that you will always be loved and NEVER forgotten!! You were missed on this trip but you were with us in spirit as always! Your smile is always there! LOVE YOU!! Rajani masi

Rajani Bhakta Happy 27th Birthday Ami!! I miss you and love you! Sharing photos and videos from your birthday celebration and tree planting ceremony!!! Can you guess who the two people are with the beautiful Umbrella? Yep, your besties... Saajan and Naziza. They were trying to protect themselves from the sun!! Cheers to celebrating you! Love you!

Rajani Bhakta Happy 28TH Birthday Ami!!!! Missing you all the time and especially during the tree planting event and your birthday! We also missed your best friends this year (Naziza and Sarah). Sharing photos and videos as we celebrate your birthday with family and friends! It is incredible what your mom and dad are doing with the planting of trees and the scholarship program. Trees represent life and growth. Planting a tree in memory of you is a way to create a living tribute that continues to grow and flourish, reflecting the enduring nature of the person’s impact. These trees become a symbol of your positive influence on the world. You had such a huge impact on so many people! You are loved and missed every day! Here’s to you Ami! Love you forever! Crazy masi!