Roop K. Srivastava

September 3, 1956 - March 8, 2021

Roop Kumar Srivastava passed away on March 8th, 2021 of pneumonia and heart failure. He was 64 years old. He is survived by his wife Sunita Srivastava, daughters Arti S. Varma (Spouse Dr. Karan Varma) and Arlene Srivastava, son Amar Srivastava, and his two younger brothers, Dr. Amit Srivastava and Pushkar Srivastava. He leaves behind many close family and friends, both in the U.S. and in India, who will miss him immensely. Roop, with his infectious sense of humor, always introduced himself to strangers saying, “My name is Roop and I’m a rich man because my name is poor spelled backwards.” In Hindi, the name Roop means the face, feature, or form of a thing, and Roop certainly had a beautiful face and physical form. He was a great big bear of a man, a force of nature, of friendship and love, with a large heart and a larger smile. Anyone who knew him loved him instantly. For his close family and friends, there was no greater person they knew or know who was as jovial, as loving, as full of laughter, in spite of suffering great pain, isolation, and loss. Born the eldest son of Raj and Sarojini Srivastava in New Delhi, India, Roop graduated from St. Xavier’s High School in New Delhi before immigrating at the age of nineteen with his family to America in 1976. His parents dreamt of sending him to college, but Roop had other plans and knew his priorities. He worked as a salesman with his father at Polk Bros in Chicago, IL. and later at Sears in the Chicago suburbs, working to support his parents and the higher education of his two younger brothers. He shined as a salesman. He could sell anything and enjoyed his work. It was a calling that aligned perfectly to his social personality and lifestyle. In 1982, Roop married Sunita Varma. She was visiting Chicago with her family from Thunder Bay, Canada. They met once at a family gathering and fell in love. Roop immediately told his parents that she was the woman he would marry, and so he did. Roop and Sunita lived as longtime residents of Naperville and Plainfield, IL. They spent many happy years together raising their two daughters, Arti and Arlene, and youngest son, Amar. Roop leaves behind for his family and friends many wonderful memories of social gatherings, joyous conversations about food, drink, laughter, unconditional love, and friendship. He will be as greatly missed in death as he loved us all in life. Visitation Tuesday March 9th 10:00am until Puja Service 11:00am at McCauley-Sullivan Funeral Home 530 W. Boughton Rd. Bolingbrook. IL. 60440. Interment Private. In lieu of flowers, the family has set up a donation page to honor his last wishes. https://gofund.me/b7c8c40c Roop’s family is thankful for all the love and support they’ve received. Roop touched so many hearts. He will be missed. The family has made the following arrangements and recognizes the challenges posed by Covid. If you choose to attend, please wear a mask and practice social distancing. If you’re unable to attend the March 9th service, please note a zoom memorial service will be held on Sunday, March 14th (Additional details to follow). Zoom Link https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/96723458161