OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — The family of Anupama Vaidya, a 62-year-old woman who died in a flash flood Monday, is keeping her memory alive while mourning her unexpected death.
“She was very friendly,” said Aditi Indurkar, Vaidya's daughter. “Always smiling. I have never seen her frown in her life. I have never seen her cry.”
Aditi has received various messages from people she knows and doesn't know about her mother's impact on their lives.
"I just feel very blessed that my mom was loved," she said.
People like Carrie, a neighbor who walks the trail, say Vaidya was an inspiration.
"That inspiration, that light has gone out, and that’s tough," Carrie said. "She was so pleasant. So pleasant and so kind."
Vaidya had been living with Aditi and her husband, Jay, for the past four years after her husband died during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before moving to the United States, Vaidya and her husband were dentists in India. She practiced for over 40 years.
Now, Aditi is following in her footsteps as she attends the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Dentistry.
“I'm in deep, deep shock,” she said. “I still cannot believe that she is not with us.”
Vaidya was on her usual morning walk when she came across rapid flood waters along the Creekside Park walking trail in her neighborhood.
Her family says she left the house around 7:30 a.m.
Once the clouds started to swell, Jay went looking for Vaidya, along with the police.
Hours later, he finally found her.
“Around 11, I saw her float by,” Jay said.
Vaidya walked with a cane after having a hip replacement years prior.
While the family is still waiting on a full report on what happened, Jay believes she could have slipped on the mud.
Why? Because he did.
“Something could happen in a matter of seconds; please don’t take it lightly,” Aditi said.
Aditi and Jay advise people to take flash flood warnings seriously and have a way to communicate with loved ones.
“If you see somebody out there by themselves, if they look like they're lost, I would go up to them and offer help,” Jay said.
Their final piece of advice is for people to cling to the Vaidyas in their lives while they still can.
“Gone too soon,” Jay said. “Hold your loved ones a little tighter tonight — and every night.”
Neighbors and close friends have created a GoFundMe page for funeral expenses.
The family also shared funeral details for the Wednesday, July 23, service here, which also includes a link to view the service online.
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KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers neighborhoods in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Share your story idea with Rachel.
