Suresh Meswani died under the care of hospice on July 26th. He is survived by two children, Ajay Meswani (Riitta Lavonen-Meswani) of Helsinki, Finland, and Suji Meswani (Geoff Weiser), of Philadelphia, two adult grandchildren, Wilma Meswani and Elis Meswani of Helsinki, Finland, his wife, Deborah Neal of Bynum, TX, and his former wife, Cynthia Claus of Philadelphia and San Miguel de Allende, MX.
Suresh was born in India and in 1947 was forced to flee his childhood home during the Partition. There are no remaining records of his birth date, but It is estimated that he was nearing 90 years old when he died. After the Partition he resettled in Bombay (Mumbai).
Suresh embodied the “American Dream,” moving to the U.S. in 1963 with nothing, and knowing no one, to get his MBA from Temple University. He became a successful entrepreneur and raised his family in Mt. Airy. He loved and fully embraced America and became a citizen in 1965.
Suresh worked in Philadelphia at Lit Bros. department store and later at First Pennsylvania Bank. An entrepreneur at heart, he opened a kitchen remodeling store in Chestnut Hill, Hill Kitchen and Floor Center, in 1978. In 1980 he purchased the beloved neighborhood hardware store, Grove Hardware, and was affectionately known to many as “Mr. Grove,” helping local homeowners and contractors work on repairs on their Chestnut Hill and Mt. Airy homes. He worked in the store six days a week, ten hours a day, until his retirement in 1997. Soon after he relocated to Texas.
