Classmates Honor Dr. Sudha Parasuram Iyer Through Fundraiser for PORCH

The 1981 Class of St. Anthony Girls’ High School (Chembur, Mumbai, India) is holding a special fundraiser for PORCH to honor their late classmate, Dr. Sudha Parasuram Iyer. Read more about her remarkable life below.

Make your gift by going to our donate page. Be sure to write “In Memory of Dr. Sudha Parasuram Iyer” in the note field, so that we can total the contributions raised through this initiative. Leave a note in that same field – such as one for your classmates or for Sudha’s family – and we will update this post with the comments we receive!

You can also mail a check to PORCH Chapel Hill-Carrboro, PO Box 16363, Chapel Hill, NC 27516.

Every dollar makes a meaningful difference in our work to provide hundreds of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, North Carolina families with fresh and nonperishable food.

$5 provides milk and eggs to one family
$25 provides chicken, milk and eggs for two families
$50 provides 10 days’ worth of fresh food to one family
$300 sponsors a family for six months
$600 sponsors a family for a year

As of Dec. 12, fourteen donations have been made, totaling $1,986.

Our thanks to Sujatha, Gayatri, Jaymala, Poonam, Kshamta, Vidya, Roopa, Padma, Sangeeta, Gayatri, Nalini, Nanda, Anuradha, and Jayashree for contributing.

We received the following comments along with the donations:  

“The world lost a very noble soul on Oct 26th. Rest in peace, my friend.” – Sujatha

“From one of her classmates. May Sudha’s soul rest in peace.” – Gayatri

“To my lovely classmate Sudha – always cherish memories of us in SAHS. Rest in peace, my friend!” – Padma

“In memory of Dr. Sudha Parasuram Iyer. This gift honors the legacy of Sudha’s legendary generosity towards anyone in need.” – Nalini

“May Sudha’s soul rest in peace.” – Nanda

Dr. Sudha Parasuram Iyer

April 5th, 1966 – October 26th, 2022

Sudha Parasuram Iyer was born in Chittur in the Indian state of Kerala. She grew up in the city of Mumbai, where she spent her school and college years. She came to the United States to attend graduate school at the age of 20. Thirteen years later, with two MS degrees and a PhD degree, Dr. Sudha Iyer returned to India and settled down in Hyderabad, having characteristically made new friends everywhere she went.

Sudha was a unique and memorable human being – borrowing from the tribute of her younger sister Kala, Sudha “had a heart that reached out to everyone she met, a mind that was constantly thirsty for knowledge and learning, an intellect that was sharp and wise, a wit that would bring smiles to one and all, vibrancy to interact with people of all ages, a charming and loving personality that endeared everyone to her and a deep spirituality which was the space of her inner mind.”

Sudha was also generous to a fault – she always gave of her time, resources, and energy to bring joy and solace to everyone in her sphere of influence. She had the rare ability to treat everyone with respect, interact without judgement, and to empathize and connect instantly with family, friends, and strangers alike, adopting the troubles of others as her own. She had a phenomenal memory, which could be relied on for recalling names, incidents, and fun times from a shared past, as well as scientific and technical details and so much more. 

For 56 years, Sudha lived the idea of providing shelter, nourishment, and hope in every community and space she was part of. To continue Sudha’s legacy of giving of herself to others in need, her friends from the 1981 Class of St. Anthony Girls’ High School have chosen to donate to PORCH and the idea of neighbors helping neighbors, which truly embodies Sudha’s life philosophy.