SAD NEWS OF THE PASSING AWAY OF OUR BELOVED COLLEAGUE ZITA
Zita Perera Subasinghe passed away peacefully this morning in her own home, surrounded by her loving family.
I shall post a more detailed appreciation soon, and if any of you wish to send contributions to it, please do email me.
ZITA'S FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS-posted on 11/10/2022
From Rohan, Zita's son---The funeral is on Thursday the 27th of October, at 11.20 am. Burial service at Sutton road cemetery and crematorium in Southend. Followed by a wake which the details are TBA.
Please turn up if you can. if you wish to attend the wake, please let me know as Rohan needs to know numbers for catering purposes. The wake is just a short distance from the cemetery.
It will be live-streamed and also recorded for up to one month for those who can’t be there.
Here is the link to watch the funeral service on line.
https://watch.obitus.com/AX3R88
Username: vuxe5533
Password: 857546
The service starts at 11.20 am and ends around 1.00 pm.
No need to register- just click on the link or copy and paste the link on your browser and enter username and password. If you miss it, you can still watch it within 1 month. The burial would not be live cast
Mahendra
Mahendra, please convey my deepest condolences to the members of her family
ReplyDeleteThank you Mahen ,please convey my sincere sympathy to all her family.
ReplyDeleteShe was a valued colleague- May she have eternal peace.
I received the news with great sadness with a head full of memories and images of the many times we met in London and some from those halcyon days in the Faculty. I take comfort that Zita is at Peace now with her Maker.
ReplyDeleteZita bore her final illness with the customary stoicism and addressed the situation in a characteristically positive spirit. When such tragedy strikes it is a lonely road. Despite the rigours of medical care, she remained courteous and thoughtful to the very end. Her serenity, dignity and sheer indomitable courage in her final illness made her an extraordinary person.
To live the life one wants, in the way one wants, is rare and is a brave and inspiring gift. To persevere and live it with dignity and peace is something to be greatly admired. Zita, you have achieved your goals better than most. It has been a great privilege to get to know you and thank you for being my friend.
At this time of grief, we pass on our condolences to Jo, Nisha, Rohan and the rest of the close family
I seek for the wisdom of the Roman poet, Horace.
"NON OMNIS MORIAR" (Not all of me will die)
How very true.
Zita has been an integral part of our batch community since our faculty days and will continue to live on in our hearts and minds for evermore.
May her Soul Rest in Peace.
So very well said. Thank you - Rohan
DeleteDHUSHYANTHI VEDAVANAM sent this to Zita's daughter Nisha
ReplyDeleteDear Nisha
I am truly saddened to hear that your dear mum passed away.
She was a great soul and a true friend who cared for all those around her. She was such a pillar of strength to me during my Eye operations for Glaucoma. She monitored my progress before and after the operations. I am so grateful to her.
About a month ago, when she was in hospital, she sent me an SMS message saying. "In hospital sending you blessings..’ - such an amazing person she was thinking of others even in her own serious state. I shall truly miss her WhatsApp messages and her great contribution to the batch blog. She shall always be close to my heart.
Please convey my heartfelt condolences to your dear Dad, Joe, and your brother Rohan.
I met dear Zita and Jo for the first time in Jan 2020. At the batch he together in London. We sat at the same table, and when I knew she was an Eye Surgeon, I discussed the problems with my eyes and I was going for surgery. She put me at ease and encouraged me to go for surgery. It was her positivity that spurred me to go through the surgery with confidence. She monitored me at every stage. She was a very loving and kindhearted human being. So is your Dad. He said they would visit me in Bedford. Of course, covid struck, and we couldn’t meet. However, we kept in touch via WhatsApp.
Zita was an extraordinary person with great talent. Her poems reflect her humane personality. Apart from this, she cared for the environment too. We have discussed climate change and its impact in one of our conversations. Zita contributed hugely to the blog on various topics and participated with enthusiasm in all the discussions. She kept us going till the end.
She was blessed with a good husband. They were a solid couple endowed with golden qualities. She was fortunate two have two lovely children who gave her the loving care she needed.
Nisha, your dear mother led an exemplary life. This is her legacy. She enthused others never to give up but to keep trying. She was a devout Christian, and her faith and prayers kept her in good spirits.
She will be fondly remembered and much missed by us all. I am deeply grateful for her sincere friendship and fellowship.
Her good memories shall live on…
Farewell Zita. May your good soul rest in eternal peace.
God Bless
Love
Dhushy Vedavanam and family.
FROM ZITA'S SON ROHAN
ReplyDeleteThis is Rohan , Zita’s son.
I have taken over mums phone for now.
It is lovely to see your tributes to mum who was loved dearly by her family and friends.
We are still absorbing the loss and it is very hard to take at this time.
But I always try to remember the courage and the positivity mum had with her approach to life in general and I remind myself that she would not be happy to see us suffer on her behalf.
It’s hard to put into words how much she means to us both in life and now in death but it is comforting to know that so many people have been touched by her life.
I know she had a great regard and fondness for her colleagues in this batch and that in the latter part of her life the blog was something she thoroughly enjoyed contributing too.
Thank you all
Speedy, thanks for informing us. on the sad news about Zita.
ReplyDeletePlease convey my deepest sympathies to her family.
These are messages received on WhatsApp group
ReplyDeleteShanti Nalliah
Thanks Speedy. Very very sad to see her go from us.! Last few days she couldn’t even speak!
Dhushyanthi Vedavanam
Thank you Mahen. We have lost a true friend who was a guardian Angel to us all. A few weeks ago when she was in hospital she sent me an SMS text saying ‘ back in hospital.. blessings to you’
Rajan Ratnesar
Saddened by the news of the passing of a dear friend. I was praying she will be in remission but the Lord called her home. We will miss her poetry and all her contribution and encouragement to us all. May she Rest In Peace. Rajan
Srianee Dias
I heard from Suri, earlier this morning that Zita had passed away in her sleep. Zita was very upbeat even when she was very sick. She even replied my last WhatsApp message saying “I’m home again!” I hope she didn’t suffer too much. Rest In Peace, Zita
Sakunthala
Sorry to hear the sad news of her passing
Maheswary Nadarajah
My deepest condolences to Zeta’s family.Hope her soul RIP.
Vanitha Shanmugavadivel
Sincere condolences to the family
Susheila Thiagarajah
Sorry to hear the sad news may her soul rest in peace
My condolences to her family
Edwis Samarakone
Very sorry to hear the sad news of Zita. Our deepest condolence to Zita's family
Josephine (Edwis Samarakone) and Tony Francis
Loretta Balachandran
Thank you for informing us
Kumar Gunawardena
Dear Mahen,
Thank you for posting this.
It was deeply saddening to hear of Zita’s passing away. although ND had informed us that she was seriously ill.
Like ND I had no interaction with Zita at medical school and very little thereafter as our professional paths diverged widely. But from all accounts not only was she an accomplished
ophthalmologist, but also an exemplary human being.
We can seek solace in Buddha’s words
“ Neither fire, nor wind,
birth, nor death,
can erase one’s deeds”
May you rest in love and peace
Manil Katugampola
We are so sorry to hear sad news of Zita. our deepest sympathies to Zita’s family . Manil . Katu and family
Sura and JC
We were saddened by the news of our dear Zita passing away. She was such a lovely and brave person.Pleass forward our deepest sympthies to the family. May she Rest In Peace. Sura.
FROM SURI AMARASEKERA
ReplyDeleteWhere do I begin to tell the story of my close friendship with Zita ... a loving relationship that has spanned six decades ? I guess it's best to start at the very beginning . I first met Zita in the Anatomy
Lab of the Faculty of Medicine in June 1962. We were both staring petrified at the cadaver reluctant to touch it , ( we were assigned the Lower Limb as body partners ) when a demonstrator ( I think it was LAG Jayasekera) roared at us to get started .
We soon found out that we were kindred spirits, sharing many common interests ... Music, Poetry, a sense if Humor and a love for Social Service.
Zita would delight us with her beautifully crafted greeting cards with personalized poems each birthday . Even our Thank you cards to the Consultants at the end of Clinical Appointments were her creations often penned with a lot of humor ... " Not much luck with the diathermy aney.... When the assistant burnt poor Gane!" is one I recall written at the end of our Surgical Appointment with Dr Misso !
I remember her being courted by a dashing young man (Joe ) who used to pick her up from Kinsey road in a Red Sports Car.
I remember attending her wedding in a church in Negombo , when she was a beautiful and stunning bride.
Zita left to UK early for post graduate studies but we kept in touch over the years till I went to UK with my family in 1975 .We were so happy to be able to be in close contact again and shared many happy times together over the years . The fact that Zita was the God mother to my son, Shaan at his christening in UK in 1977 and later an attesting witness at his wedding in Sri Lanka bears testimony of our closeness.
Zita as you all know was very courageous , meeting life' s challenges head on. When she returned to Sri Lanka in the late 1980ies, it was a requisite to sit for the MS Opthalmology Sri Lanka to be eligible to hold a Consultant post. Despite the fact that she was already a fully accredited with a Certificate of Higher Professional Training from the Royal College
( probably the only one in Sri Lanka ) she just calmly took up the challenge and went back to studying ... though it must have been so maddening. She passed the MS part II with ease , and to my delight was appointed as the first Opthalmic Surgeon at the Sri Jayawardanepura Hospital in 1990 where I was an Anaesthetist.
She set up the unit with very high standards and also had the privilege of performing the first ever Laser Surgery in Sri Lanka. She trained several Post Graduates during her period of service all of who are competent caring Eye Surgeons today, bearing witness to her teaching and training skills. I had the privilege of providing Anaesthesia for Zita's lists and we had to watch ourselves from not chatting too much !
Zita 's daughter Nisha and son Rohan became close friends with my daughter and son , and we have so many beautiful shared memories both in U K and Sri Lanka .
Zita decided to leave for UK in 1995 mainly due to family commitments. She attended all the Batch Reunions in Sri Lanka and maintained contact with many of us.
Zita's courage and cheerfulness in the face of her long illness which ultimately claimed her life was indeed an inspiration to all of us. Her gift of seeing a silver lining in every situation is a shining example for us to follow.
In spite of the really tough time she was going through, she found the time to delight us with her poems which were so meaningful and often included subtle humor. Her amazing musical talents on the Key board as well as the Guitar were indeed God given gifts which she joyfully shared.
Its hard to think that we will not meet again in this life , but dearest Zita , you will always live in our hearts , and I look forward to the glorious day when we will meet again on that Beautiful Shore.
Suri
Speedy
I hope this is OK . I could have written reams.... But manged to control myself. I used to WhatsApp her at least twice a week and she replied often. I am so sad ... Zita was truly a sister to me.
Suri
Thank you so much for telling us the history you shared with mum. She had told me as much over the years of her love and appreciation for you and your family.
DeleteI am so proud of her and she has been the only role model I have needed in life.
It is very hard to say goodbye.
Love Rohan
Speedy, Thanks for informing us of Zita’s passing. Sad indeed. I knowshe was sick for some time and only hope she didn’t suffer too much.
ReplyDeleteThere’s one act of Zita’s that I will never forget. After one of our batch reunions, I think it was the one in Hikkaduwa,Zita came to meet me. She said she enjoyed herself immensely and said that we couldn’t possibly have have done what we did with the amount that was charged and said she was sure I was out of pocket and tried to force more money on me. Ofcourse I told her that she was crazy and she went away quite unhappy that she didn’t get her own way. That’s the kind of person she was. Kind and thoughtful.
May she attain Nibbana…Rest in Peace.
We will always remember her .Our sincere condolences to Joe and the family
Swyrie
Thank you for sharing this story. She came back from the reunion in hikkaduwa with many stories to tell and I had wished at the time that I had been allowed to come with her!
DeleteMahen
ReplyDeleteVery sad to hear that Zita passed away.She was much loved by the batch mates,very versatile and simply amazing.Please convey our deepest sympathies to the family.
Bora
SUSIL ATTALLE
ReplyDeletePlease convey my and Rupas condolences to zitas family she is a remarkable soul faced her terminal illness with courage
May her attain nibbane
Susil
I was informed by Mahendra regarding Zita’s sad demise and I sincerely hope that my condolences were conveyed to her family .
ReplyDeleteIn the 1980s when Zita returned to Sri Lanka she worked at Karapitiya when I was working there. Later she moved to SJGH before returning to England. I have to be thankful to her for operating on my father in law
May she Rest In Peace .
Sanath Lamabadusuriya
ReplyDeleteAll condolences have been passed to Rohan and Nisha (son and daugheter) who will pass them on to Joe who is understandaby very upset
ReplyDeleteA SPECIAL EMOTIONAL TRIBUTE FROM CHIRASRI
ReplyDeleteZita was a dear friend of mine and I miss her terribly. It is with great sadness I associate her demise.
She was a lovable person with a smile on her face. She used to think highly about people and I have never heard her talking ill of anyone.
I have associated Zita very closely. We did our internship together with Dr. Misso at the General Hospital of Colombo.
When I was in UK for my Postgraduate studies between 1996 and 1999 I have been visiting Zita and her family and having meals at her place. I have been working in UK for 6 months in 1986, 1992 and 1998 and have spent weekends at Zita’s place.
I admired her self determination and courage to sit for our local MS Ophthalmology exam conducted by the Post Graduate Institution of Medicine Colombo. Cassim and I were her examiners. She passed and was working at the Karapitiya Hospital and Sri ayawardena pura Hospital, Kotte.
We used to visit each other and have meals together. One day Zita and Joe brought a large (40” x 28”) framed beautiful picture when they visited my home. This beautiful picture still adorns the wall of one room. I will never forget Zita and I will always remember her and this picture gives pleasant memories.
Being in the same specialty, we used meet each other at College meetings and Congresses.
Our family, Ranjit and our two children visited Zita in 2004 and had lunch at her South End on Sea home. She and Joe took us to the Sea front and we had a lovely time. Happy Mamories!
One day I got an E mail from Zita saying she was stranded in Spain without money and asking whether I could send her 2000 sterling pounds. Since I could not contact her I sent this money. When I realized it was a fraud I contacted Barclays Bank London to stop payment. Luckily the money was not sent but I lost 100 pounds. Subsequently she gave me a cheque for 100 pounds when she met me in Sri Lanka at our batch reunion which I did not accept. I told her, what are friends for if we cannot help each other at a time of need.
Zita is an artist who used to make beautiful greetings cards. I used to admire them.
I have been in constant touch with Zita on Whatsapp. The last time, when she heard that Ranjit was ill. she said that she will pray for him that he will definitely get better.
Zita is an extraordinary person who faced challenges to her health bravely and with unbelievable courage. I admire her attitude and is a shining example for us to follow if we have to face a similar
situation.
I was fascinated by her book of poems. What talent to write these 41 poems. She expressed her views and ideas in verse with rhyme and reason. I must congratulate Rohan for taking the initiative to get this book printed. I am sure Zita would have been so happy to see her own innovations. Well done Zita and Rohan. When I read her last two poems ‘Dialogue with Death’ and ‘The End’, it simply filled my eyes with tears and overflowed.
Zita had a very supportive family. Joe, Rohan and Nisha which made her task easier. Let me congratulate Rohan for removing pleuritic fluid from both her lungs once a week for about one year. You are great Rohan, looking after your mum with so much enthusiasm. We appreciate your deed greatly.
Zita has had a lovely life leaving behind fond memories, missed by her family, friends and Batch mates.
May she rest in Peace.
Chira
Dear Aunty.
DeleteIt was lovely to read your tribute.
All I can say is that I was extremely lucky to have her as my mum. I could never rise to her high standards but always tried to and will continue to.
It was my privilege along with my dad and sister to look after her during her final fight with cancer and can tell you that at no stage did she ever let her head drop through the many downs of her illness.
She was the best patient and showed the ultimate patience.
I am still amazed at this now reflecting on the last year and a half where our lives as a family have been turned upside down.
Helping her publish her book was a honour for me and I will treasure that for ever. There was enough poems left for another book so who knows if I will make the second volume one day.
Hopefully we can preserve her memory and carry on living with the exuberance and determination she always had.
Rohan
In the fullness of time, when things settle down, it would be lovely to see Ziat Poems Vol 2! There are many poems in the Blog too which I am sure you have seen but if you search as "Zita", you will see them. Many are under "Creative spot". All the best Roshan and Nisha. Love to Joe, he is very jmuch inour thooughts and hearts.
DeleteApologies for spelling you as Roshan and not Rohan, force of habit ,my younger son being Roshan! and Zita, not Ziat!
DeleteDear Speedy,
ReplyDeletePlease convey our deepest sympathies to Zita’s family.
Sunil & Sirima
ZITA'S FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS
ReplyDeleteFrom Rohan,Zita's son---The funeral is on Thursday the 27th October at 11.20. Burial service at Sutton road cemetery in and crematorium in Southend. Followed by a wake which the details are TBA.
It will be live-streamed and also recorded for up to one month for those who can’t be there.
When ne sends me the link, I shall post it so that people can watch the proceedings on-line
Saddened to learn of Zita’s demise. I knew her as a batchmate on our half of the alphabetical order. Although we were not close friends I held her with much love and respect as she befriended me at a time of need. I was new to the batch as I had just got a transfer from Peradeniya. We were in our third year when the then Professor of Medicine, who was a ‘tyrant’ in the eyes of the students, decided to ‘teach them young’ and called up our group for the first professorial appointment early as he was annoyed teaching the seniors. Unfortunately, I happened to be the first transfer student in the group and had to face the Professor testing bedside clinical skills learnt at the faculty in the hills. Once following a stressful ward session where I managed with some luck to survive, a fellow batchmate and my best friend at the time, accused me of being coached by the Registrar to give correct answers. I was crestfallen and devastated as I walked back to the hostel convinced that I would never fit in with the Colombo batch. Zita understood my plight. While walking back with me she made me come to terms to ease my unhappiness. She offered me her unreserved friendship.
ReplyDeleteWe both came from middle class socioeconomic homes with large families and it was easy for me to connect with her. She had a large heart and I found a kindred spirit in her. Unfortunately our paths did not cross since leaving the hostel but I came to appreciate her literary and musical skills through her writings in the Blog.
To her husband Jo, son Rohan and daughter Nisha, I wish to convey my heartfelt condolences.
Dear Zita, may you rest in peace.
Manel Wijesundera
Indrani Antonypillaie
ReplyDelete- I really enjoyed Zita’s friendship at medical school. She was always fun loving, caring, and enjoyed life. I will miss her and hope we will meet again some day.
S.Balachandran
even though I have been living in Texas, I have really enjoyed seeing Zita’s artwork and poetry on the medical blog. She has certainly touched many lives for the better. May she rest in peace.
Here is the link to watch the funeral service on line.
ReplyDeletehttps://watch.obitus.com/AX3R88
Usename:vuxe5533
Password: 857546
The service starts at 11.20 am and ends around 1.00 pm. No need to register- just copy and paste the link on your browser and enter username and password. If you miss it, you can still watch it within 1 month. The burial would not be live cast.