Pravina Gohel

Pravina V. Gohel, a long-time resident of Cherry Hill, NJ, passed away on  March 12 th, 2023 peacefully surrounded by family at her home. She was 85 years old. Pravina is predeceased by her loving husband, Vijay Gohel.

Pravina is survived by family, including her children, Rupa Rana (Rajendra Rana), Gautam Gohel (Raka Gohel), and Shyam Gohel (Nita Gohel); her grandchildren, Nicholas Rana (Anna Rana), Neva Gohel (John Fosdick), Neil Rana, Shaun Gohel, Riya Gohel, and Devin Gohel.

Pravina was born in Bhadiyad, Gujarat, India to Smt. and Shree J.G. Chudasama. She married Dr. Vijay Gohel on November 27, 1956, in Bhavnagar, India. In 1968, their family of five moved to Cherry Hill, NJ. Even though Pravina only had formal education up to 5th grade in Gujarati, she was determined to teach herself how to speak, read, and write English. She attended classes in the evenings and watched “English as a Second Language” early morning on PBS, studying diligently with her pen and notebook. Anyone who had the pleasure to know Pravina, knew she never gave up and put 110% in her pursuits. Vijay and Pravina had a deep love for each other. Pravina loved to cook for her family, and Vijay would make her laugh until she cried. They traveled the world together, visiting over 45 countries. One of our favorite stories from their travels was when Vijay and Pravina visited France. They ordered escargot at a restaurant in Paris, and Vijay told her it was a French chicken. She tried it and loved it. Right after, he confessed that escargot is snail….  She was horrified but always laughed about it later.

After Vijay passed suddenly in 1991, Pravina had a very difficult time imagining life without him. After a period of mourning, it was especially gratifying to see her overcome this tragedy and grow into her life with renewed confidence, humor, and inner peace and happiness. She projected positivity, integrity, and strength especially to her grandchildren.

Pravina was a spiritual woman and a devout Hindu, praying every morning at dawn. She took great pride in her Cherry Hill home and loved to host friends and family, always thoughtful of others and extremely giving. She enjoyed visiting her children and grandchildren in Houston, Pittsburgh, and Poughkeepsie and traveling the world with them. When she visited new places, she enjoyed exploring cities and sightseeing. Pravina especially loved to eat out at Italian restaurants with her friends and family – pizza and red wine were her favorites. Pravina enjoyed action movies, puzzles, and was fond of Jane Austen novels. Although Pravina is no longer physically with us, we celebrate her incredible life and think fondly about the beautiful moments we shared. Pravina was selfless in the truest sense. That is her legacy to all of us.