Obituary of Velammal Santhana

Velammal “Kavitha” Santhana: June 26th, 1968 - May 19th, 2025

Velammal “Kavitha” Santhana passed away at the age of 57 on May 19, 2025, in her home, after a hard fought battle with cancer.

Her death was preceded by her mother, Muthammal, her father, Arjunan, and her brother, Kannan. She is survived by her husband, Santhana, her daughters, Sushma and Velarchana, and her son-in-law, Matthew. She is further survived by her sisters, Gomathi, Parameswari, and Nachiar and her brother, Ramesh as well as many loving nephews, nieces, cousins, aunts, uncles, in-laws, and dear friends.

Velammal was born in Perumalpuram, Tirunelveli, India. She attended Sarah Tucker College in Tirunelveli and received a BA and MA in Economics. She married Santhana on July 10, 1994, and moved across the world to the United States a year later, after having lived in a small town her whole life. In 2004, Velammal settled in North Liberty, Iowa, with Santhana, Velarchana, and Sushma. Velammal loved to travel and created several memories on family trips together to various places across the country; including Yellowstone and numerous other national parks, San Francisco, New York City, Disneyworld, and many more.

Velammal is remembered as a very loving mother, caring friend, and talented chef who never let anyone leave the house with an empty stomach. Her friends described her as “a quiet lady with a big impact” who always reached out to those she cared about and made those around her feel loved. She enjoyed gardening, biking, hiking, and drawing. Her memory lives on through all those who loved her, spent time with her, and enjoyed her company and food.

A public visitation will be held at 9:00 A.M. until 10:30 A.M. on Saturday, May 24th at Gay and Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service at 2720 Muscatine Ave, Iowa City, IA 52240.

In lieu of flowers, we would welcome gifts to any organization supporting the fight against cancer.