Mrs. Arputham Shantha Paul

Arputham Shantha Paul (Shantha) of Madras, India passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 26, 2021 at Phoenixville Hospital with both her children and their families beside her. Born in Thirumangalam, India on November 2, 1934, she was the daughter of Mr. Vedhapothagam Swamidoss and Mrs. Arputham Swamidoss. She was also the loving wife of Late Mr. I. Paul Appadurai to whom she was married from 1960 to his passing in 2001. She was the 8th of 12 siblings having grown up mostly in Tuticorin and Krishnagiri, India and completed her education with a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Economics, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Education. She was the last one surviving of all her siblings with whom she shared a very close bond throughout her life. She settled in Madras, India after she got married to Mr. Paul Appadurai in 1960 and joined Ewart School as a teacher. Ewart School was started as a finishing school for the daughters of British Officers stationed in Madras by an Irish Missionary with a vision for Christian education for young girls. She went on to become the Vice Principal of the school impacting many young lives during her tenure there. She served in the school with tremendous passion from June 1963 to May 1995 and the school was her mission in life. She was a woman of great fortitude and resilience, who faced several hardships early on in life. Shantha not only lost her mother when she was just about a year and 5 months, but also lost her step mother, whom she loved very much, when she turned 12. God has been a strong and mighty tower and His hand of protection and provision has been on her. She learnt to take life as it came and was blessed with an excellent sense of humor. Fascinated by life in the city, she had originally come to Madras to do her Bachelor’s degree in Education. She and her husband, Mr. Paul Appadurai were blessed with 2 children, and she was a devoted mother and a strict disciplinarian who encouraged them to do well in their academics and other activities. She inculcated the habit of reading and a love of music and singing in both her children. Ever ready to take on new challenges, she decided to do her Masters in Economics in her mid 40s, which was not usual for women at the time as they had to balance family, school and career. She also vowed to complete it before her daughter completed her graduate studies and was able to accomplish her goal. From a young age, she had an abiding and strong faith in God and His ways. However, she experienced the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ when she battled health challenges in 1992 and was healed by the power of God. She overcame her struggles because of her faith in God and the strong support she had from her husband. Losing her husband in 2001 was a severe blow to her and she came to North America to live with her children and their families. When she lived in Canada, she became very involved with church activities there and was a mother figure to several young immigrant families there. She kept traveling back and forth between India and the US during her initial years of stay in the US. For the last several years she struggled because of poor health, but her faith and confidence in God carried her. This recent episode with aspiration pneumonia put her in the hospital, and she struggled to fight the infection. God miraculously healed her and the doctors were talking about a discharge when she suddenly took a turn for the worse. Her last days must have brought her great joy as her children and their families showered her with their love and devotion. Both families got to spend quality time with her during the past two weeks, and she was called into the presence of her Savior surrounded by her children and grandchildren who read to her, her favorite Psalms and scripture portions, sang her favorite songs, and stood by her bedside as she breathed her last. She leaves behind a great legacy of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and is a living testament of the wonderful ways in which God works in the lives of His children. The One who knew her even before she was formed in the inward parts of her mother’s womb, held her by His hand and has taken her into His eternal kingdom. Mrs. Shantha Paul leaves behind her son David Paul, his wife Sonali and their children Jeshurun and Janelle, her daughter Jayanthi Philip, her husband Gladstone Philip and their sons Jonan and Jachin. She also leaves behind her sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, grand nieces, and nephews, their families and friends. We are thankful that she is with the Lord, rejoicing in His presence, and hearing the words “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” Relatives and friends are invited to attend The Funeral Ceremony at Cornerstone Fellowship Church, 1170 Rittenhouse Rd, Audubon, PA 19403, on Saturday, October 2, 2021 at 10:30 am. Officiating will be Visuvasam Dhanaraj. Burial will be held in the Valley Forge Memorial Gardens, King Of Prussia, Pennsylvania. Friends will be received from 9:30 am - 10:30 am Saturday at Cornerstone Fellowship Church. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Samaritan’s Purse, PO Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607.

Mrs. Arputham Shantha Paul

November 2, 1934 - September 26, 2021