Nikhil Kishore Kothari, born May 25, 1956 in Rajkot, India, passed on Sunday, February 21, 2021 in Mission Viejo. CA. Born to Kishore and Rama Kothari, he has four siblings: Jatin Kothari, Punita Bhatia, Kaumudi Mehta, and Mukund Kothari. Although born in Rajkot, he spent the first 13 years of his life in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Kothari family moved to Bombay in 1969 where they ultimately established their home in Khar and created many beautiful memories.

In 1982, Nikhil married Rashmi Vakharia and soon after had two sons, Abhay and Vishaal. The family moved to Mission Viejo, California in 2002, which was very difficult given the close relationship he had with Bapuji and Ba. He was a very devoted son and traveled back to India as frequently as he could to spend time with family, especially Ba and his little bird Devika. Even after Bapuji's passing, he never failed to call Ba at their regularly scheduled time. His heart was constantly in both places- Bombay and Southern California. He shared a special connection with Rashmi's sister, Hema and her husband Manu, who lovingly referred to him as N-Bhai.

Nikhil was a gentle soul; selfless, kind, dependable, and generous; qualities that allowed him to create lasting friendships with everyone who crossed his path. Nikhil was known to be the comedian of the family, never short of a joke or witty response. He always sought to make people smile wherever he went and the sound of his laughter will never be forgotten.
Happy hour with Nikhil was always comprised of watered down whiskey, cheez-its, cashews, and peanuts, now a family tradition that will fondly continue at 6pm. Most recently, Nikhil enjoyed singing on the karaoke app Smule, recording Hindi, English, Spanish, and Italian songs on a daily basis. He called it his "homework" after his afternoon walk. Hearing the pure joy in his voice filled our hearts with love. Above all Nikhil cherished time spent with his family.

He is survived by his wife, Rashmi Kothari, two sons, Abhay and Vishaal, and daughters, Jaquelyn, Afshawn, and Janielle.
Services will be held Thursday, February 24, 2021, 9:00 a.m. at McCormick & Sons Mortuary 1795 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, CA 92651.A livestream of the service will be available on Zoom via the following link:

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In Lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the American Heart Association:
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