Zosima Singh Paul's Obituary
Zosima Singh Paul passed away peacefully on September 9, 2021, in Richmond, California, with her life partner of 50 years, Dev Paul, by her side. She was 77.
Zosima — also known as “Susie,” or “Zosie,” as her friends often called her — was born in Canaoalan, a barrio in the town of Binmaley, in Pangasinan, Philippines, on December 26, 1943. The eldest of eight children, she was the only daughter of Banta Singh Kash, a freedom fighter and merchant from Punjab, India, and Anita Bautista Singh, a Filipina-Indian businesswoman, also of the Philippines.
Susie was the anchor of her family who paved the way for future generations. After graduating with a degree in chemistry from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila in 1966, she applied for a visa to come to the United States. Accompanied by her father, Susie left Manila on May 9, 1968, and headed for San Francisco. She arrived in California on May 10. After a brief stay with extended family, she found an apartment in Berkeley with a fellow Filipina and began working as a research chemist at a fertilizer company. She would eventually spend 15 years working full-time as a chemist at the Chevron Refinery in Richmond while raising four children. An active and ambitious woman, Susie kept busy taking business classes, and made a career switch into real estate while pregnant with her fifth child.
She and Dev signed their wedding contract on September 20, 1971, and held their Catholic wedding ceremony two days later at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Quezon City, Philippines. They also honored their marriage in a ceremony at the Khalsa Diwan Indian Sikh temple in Manila that her father helped to establish. As newlyweds, Susie and Dev shared an apartment in Berkeley, set a picnic at Oakland’s Lake Merritt to celebrate their first Thanksgiving, and nurtured lifelong friendships. They moved to the East Bay’s El Sobrante area to raise their family.
Susie was a strong-willed woman and committed mother, a constant force in her children’s lives. She always strived to do what was best for her family. If you asked her of her accomplishments, she had plenty to choose from: passing the chemistry board exam; coming to America and helping her family and partner’s family to immigrate as well; raising five, college-educated children. Susie loved to travel and considered seeing the world an accomplishment as well. Her favorite place she ever traveled to was Rome; the last of her travels was to her birthplace, the Philippines.
After enduring a long, brave battle with rheumatoid arthritis for over 35 years, Susie suffered a stroke and seizure on July 23, and a cardiac arrest in the early hours of July 24. Following a host of complications, she passed away peacefully in her sleep in the early morning of September 9, with her loving husband by her side.
Susie will be dearly missed and always remembered. She is survived by her husband, Dev; their five children: Sunita, Meera, Christine, Rajesh and Sonia; and their five grandchildren: Devan, Marc, Riya, Kabir and Nadia. As she requested, she will be remembered as her mother was, in a Catholic mass and burial. In the tradition of her marriage and following the legacy of her father, her life will also be celebrated with a prayer at the Gurdwara. Flowers may be sent to the Chapel of the Chimes in Hayward, California; donations in Susie’s name may also be made to the Rheumatoid Arthritis Foundation.
We request all of Susie’s loved ones to join us in celebrating her beautiful life.
Viewing/Acknowledgements:
Sunday, Sept 19, 2021 4:00 pm — 7:00 pm.
Chapel of the Chimes, Hayward, CA - Reflection Chapel
(verbal acknowledgements limited to immediate family + 2 friends)
Funeral:
Monday, Sept 20, 2021
11am (mass) St James Church, Fremont
1pm (burial) Chapel of the Chimes, Hayward
2pm (Sikh prayer + langar (food)), Gurdwara Fremont
What’s your fondest memory of Zosima?
What’s a lesson you learned from Zosima?
Share a story where Zosima's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Zosima you’ll never forget.
How did Zosima make you smile?